PlanetGeo: The Geology Podcast
Chris and Jesse
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A Geology and Earth Science Podcast. Join Chris, an award-winning geology teacher, and Jesse, a geoscience professor, in discussing the amazing features of our planet and their impact on your everyday life. No prior knowledge required. New episodes coming at you every week. Listen, subscribe, share with someone you know!
Available episodes
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Oldest first
3 days ago
Cure the Winter Blues - The Black Hills (ReRelease)
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Nov 23, 2023
Cure the Winter Blues - Badlands National Park (ReRelease)
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Nov 16, 2023
Slow Carbon - The Rock Carbon Cycle
Today, Jesse and Chris tackle the topic of the Slow Carbon Cycle. We've been talking about this for a while now. This is a very complicate cycle that involves many variables. In this episode, we work through some scenarios such as the Himalayan uplift and plug them into the Carbon Cycle. It's a little bit of mental gymnastics. The ingredients for the Carbon Cycle to operate are freshly exposed rock, water (both in the oceans and the atmosphere), and plate tectonics. If one of these variables is taken out, the Carbon Cycle ceases.
Join us in this fun and interesting discussion.
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Nov 9, 2023
The Infiltration Game - Soils and Flooding
In this episode, we tackle the issue of infiltration capacity. The idea came to us in the form of a listener question due to recent events. Infiltration capacity is simply a way of describing the ability of soil and regolith to soak up water during storm events that drop a lot of rain in a short period of time. There are several variables that must be accounted for in describing the infiltration capacity for a given area. Humans have also caused a significant change related to this topic. Join us in this fun conversation that has a lot of relevance in todays world.
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Nov 2, 2023
Forming Earth's Ocean - Office Hours
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Oct 26, 2023
The Anthropocene
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Oct 19, 2023
Remapping Yellowstone National Park
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Oct 12, 2023
The Geology of Copper
Today we talk about Copper!
The metal that is essential to all our lives, but goes largely underrated.
Here is a link to the article Chris references in the podcast talking about the sources of copper deposits.
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Oct 5, 2023
Explore or Optimize? Interview with Erica Dalman
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Sep 28, 2023
Chris and Jesse Finally Agree
This week, we are asking you to do us a favor. We are really exited because we just launched our brand new campGeo mobile app. So, we would really appreciate if you clicked on This Link, downloaded the campGeo mobile app, and left us a rating and review on there.
This week we talk about the origin of this concept, why we are excited about this mobile app, and what types of content can be found there today.
Also, if you have suggestions for new types of visual audiobooks please send us an email! Or, if you have a better name for these things than 'visual audiobooks' let us know that too (we are horrible at naming things...)!
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Sep 21, 2023
Are You Karsty? Sinkholes and Karst
Today, Jesse and Chris discuss the distinction between sinkholes and karst topography. There is a surprisingly large portion of the U.S. that has potential to be affected by karst. It is also extremely important as a source of drinking water. We also discuss the distinction between the technical definition of karst and what is called pseudokarst. Below is a link to the article and diagram we allude to in the show. We hope you enjoy.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1207689/full
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Sep 14, 2023
Geoscience is EVEN MORE Important
We get a bit reflective today and discuss the importance of Geoscience to society - and how it has changed in the last three years. Jesse recently went to a conference on economic mining and came away newly excited. If the world is going to make the energy transition, certain elements are critical in allowing us to meet that demand. Today, we talk about the issues surrounding the energy transition and how geoscientists are playing an integral role (and will continue to do so) in society. We hope you enjoy!
*If you are interested in **Yellowstone National Park**, or want to learn all the basics of geology, visit our newly updated CampGEO content, including a new Geology of Yellowstone National Park, available now at our **web app - here!*
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
Downloa…
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Sep 7, 2023
Going, Going, Gone - Disappearing Streams
Today, we each give our take on disappearing streams. When the idea was first pitched, we were thinking about 2 different things. The result - we talked about each. Join us as we continue our series on water.
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Aug 31, 2023
Geoscience Careers #1 - Renewable Consulting with Andrew DeWitt
Today we have the great pleasure to interview a close friend of the podcast - Andrew Dewitt. Andrew has had a long career in the environmental consulting industry and provides insights into what it take to be a geoscientist working in this field and gives lots of excellent advice. This is a must-listen episode for any aspiring young geoscientist.
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Aug 24, 2023
Petrification
*Today, we are talking about the process of making petrified wood. Basically, wood has to be quickly buried in a wet setting where the water is also saturated in certain minerals - usually silica. Also, there must be little oxygen present or oxidation reactions have to occur to use up all of the available oxygen. This prevents the wood from getting eaten by decomposers. We will also get into the geologic settings where this is likely to occur.
Finally, we talk a little about how we come up with ages of petrified wood and use this to kick off a series on Geochronology. Enjoy!*
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Aug 17, 2023
Creepy Soil
*Today, we talk about all things soil creep. Have you ever been on a steep slope and seen bent or curved trees, slanted fence posts, slanted headstones or signs? Look closely and you can often see the surface has a rippled appearance. Soil Creep is a form of what we call Mass Wasting in Geology. Mud flows, avalanche, and rockfall are also examples of Mass Wasting. Creep just happens very, very slowly. Join us and learn how this fascinating process works!*
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Aug 10, 2023
Stream Drainage Patterns
*Just as in so many aspects of the way the world works, geology determines the drainage patterns (or watershed) of rivers. Today, we discuss the major types of drainage patterns - they're not random and we also get into how the geology at the surface determines this shape. This is a continuation of our series on water.*
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Aug 3, 2023
Earth's Geological MRI Scan
Today, we cover something very interesting - a new initiative by the United States Geological Survey to map Earth's resources at a new level. Geology is newly relevant to society and. some people argue we are entering a new 'golden age' of geology - how exciting!
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Jul 27, 2023
Rockhounding 101
Today, we cover one of our favorite past times - RockHounding! It's a totally fun, engaging activity that gets you outside and learning about nature. And, who knows, you might find something spectacular along the way!
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Jul 20, 2023
How To Identify Rocks
In this episode we start a looong conversation about how to identify rocks. We begin by outlining a few simple rules to go by, and how to start to think about identifying rocks when you find them out in the world!
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Jul 13, 2023
Yellowstone's "Rock" Music
Listen to Yellowstone's rock music here!
Today we talk about the fun exercise of turning seismic activity recorded live from Yellowstone National Park, turning it into musical notes, and playing it for a live audience! As usual, we get into the geology behind the story!
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Jul 6, 2023
The Geology of Uranium
Today, we talk about Uranium!
Uranium is a really interesting element and today we talk about how it's used, a bit about nuclear reactors, then dive into the geology. Uranium has two major oxidation states, 4+ and 6+ and the chemical differences between these really drive how Uranium deposits form!
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Jun 29, 2023
Yellowstone's Other Volcanoes
In PlanetGeo today, we discuss one aspect of Yellowstone National Park Geology that goes under-appreciated - the Absaroka Volcanics. They are a geological curiosity, but a massive one at that - the volume of volcanic rocks produced by the Absaroka volcanoes dwarfs the Yellowstone hotspot.
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Jun 22, 2023
A Geologist in National Defense - Dr. Stefanie Tompkins - Director of DARPA
Today we are extremely honored to get the opportunity to discuss all things geoscience and National Defense with Dr. Stefanie Tompkins, the Director of DARPA! Dr. Tompkins is the first Presidential Appointee we have ever had on our podcast and in this interview she clearly shows why she has achieved such an incredible level of success in her career.
With Dr. Tompkins we discuss the value of geoscience training, the role of research funding, and how varied geoscience careers can become. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did!
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Jun 15, 2023
Drove the Chevy to the Levee - The Geology of Levees
Today we talk all about Levees! They are a very important and under-appreciated aspect of our society, infrastructure, and river systems!
Here is a link to the excellent article that we mention in the podcast. Please let us know if you have questions!
Levee Link
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Jun 8, 2023
New York City is Sinking!
Today, Jesse and Chris discuss a headline that's been making a splash lately. There was a paper recently published that looked into why some areas of New York City appear to be sinking. We took this as an opportunity to discuss an important geologic concept - Isostasy or Isostic Adjustment. Our conversation spanned glaciers, mountains, and cities. We hope you enjoy. Below is a link to the published paper. I've also included a link to one of the articles written about the published paper.
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2022EF003465
https://time.com/6283322/new-york-city-sinking/
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Jun 1, 2023
Office Hours - Back-to-School and Mass Spectrometers
*Today, Jesse and Chris take on a couple of listener questions. One is regarding a passion for geoscience and would like to know our opinion on returning to school for a trajectory change.
The other question is more for Jesse. It regards recent changes in mass spectrometry so we re-visit this important topic. We hope you enjoy.*
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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May 25, 2023
Plants and Meanders - How to Read a Geoscience Paper
*Here is a link** to the paper we discuss in this episode:
*In this episode, we talk about meandering streams. Why don't rivers flow in straight paths? As soon as a river flattens out, it begins to meander. It’s these meanders that manage the energy of the water. How? They really do 2 things: 1- they increase the resistance (physics) and 2- they decrease the gradient. Essentially, the river is changing itself to minimize the energy it expends to maintain a state of equilibrium. We also get into some detail. Meanders are not random. They are directly related to the width of the river and also the radius of the meander curvature. It's a really cool aspects to river morphology.
We also talk about things that can start meanders. And finally, we briefly discuss one of geology's more beautiful features - entrenched meanders. We hope you enjoy!
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a vis…
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May 18, 2023
Not All Who Meander Are Lost - Meandering Streams
In this episode, we talk about meandering streams. Why don't rivers flow in straight paths? As soon as a river flattens out, it begins to meander. It’s these meanders that manage the energy of the water. How? They really do 2 things: 1- they increase the resistance (physics) and 2- they decrease the gradient. Essentially, the river is changing itself to minimize the energy it expends to maintain a state of equilibrium. We also get into some detail. Meanders are not random. They are directly related to the width of the river and also the radius of the meander curvature. It's a really cool aspects to river morphology.
We also talk about things that can start meanders. And finally, we briefly discuss one of geology's more beautiful features - entrenched meanders. We hope you enjoy!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the…
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May 11, 2023
The Geology of Oakland - Andrew Alden author of Deep Oakland
*In this episode, we interview author Andrew Alden. He wrote Deep Oakland: How Geology Shaped a City. This book is a wonderful read and it offers a unique lens in which to view a city. Jesse and Chris both think that this idea should become a series - much like the Roadside Geology series.
Andrew talks about his motivation for the monumental task. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that shook the city of San Francisco and kind of woke him up to the idea. Deep Oakland is an intricate story involving the intersection of geology and humanity. Specifically, geology determined early decisions in the planning of Oakland. Join us in this interesting conversation.*
*You can purchase Andrew's book Deep Oakland **HERE*
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episode…
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May 4, 2023
Office Hours - Pollution and Slab Pull
Today, we answer some listener questions in what we call "office hours". We each chose a question for the other to answer. We did not know what questions we would be asked so our answers were on the fly. Jesse asks Chris a question from Joyce (his mom) about a new word that she needs to know. Chris chose paleomagnetism. Then, Jesse asked a more serious question regarding the potential for humans to influence the chemistry of magma in the geologic future.
Chris chose a question from Ava regarding the origin of slab pull as a mechanism for plate tectonics. We hope you enjoy!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Apr 27, 2023
Banded Iron Formations - BIFs
Join us today as we discuss one of the more important ancient rock formations - Banded Iron Formations or otherwise known as BIF's in the geologic community. Wherever found, they provide us with Iron ore - some of the best on the planet. In this episode, we delve into the geologic story of how these important and beautiful rocks formed. There is some newer research that has altered some earlier thinking on BIF formation. We hope you enjoy.
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Apr 20, 2023
Barrier Islands
In this episode, we take on the topic of Barrier Islands. This is a very relevant topic because recent storms have devastated some of these Islands. The intersection between geology and humans is always an interesting topic.
Barrier Islands need three things:
* Sand supply
* Broad sloping coastline
* Waves/tides/currents must be strong enough to move sand (high-ish energy)
* Waves must be dominant
In this context we discuss the 3 ways in which they form. Each Island has it's own unique story and all 3 scenarios play a role.
We also discuss the function of Barrier Islands in terms of protecting the mainland and also unique biological habitats.
We hope you enjoy, and as usual please send us any questions you have!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past…
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Apr 13, 2023
Observing Yellowstone National Park - Scientist-in-Charge Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Dr. Mike Poland
In this episode, Chris and Jesse give a live talk at Grand Valley State University. We were invited to speak by the student chapter of the AAPG - American Association of Petroleum Geologists. They were interested in hearing our "story" about how each of us came into the geoscience field and how PlanetGeo came about. There was also a Q and A session where we were asked a variety of questions that spanned many topics.
We hope you enjoy, and as usual please send us any questions you have!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Apr 6, 2023
The Shape of Yellowstone - Dr. Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com**
*
We hope you enjoy, and as usual please send us any questions you have!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Mar 30, 2023
PlanetGeo LIVE at Grand Valley State University
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com**
* In this episode, Chris and Jesse give a live talk at Grand Valley State University. We were invited to speak by the student chapter of the AAPG - American Association of Petroleum Geologists. They were interested in hearing our "story" about how each of us came into the geoscience field and how PlanetGeo came about. There was also a Q and A session where we were asked a variety of questions that spanned many topics.
We hope you enjoy, and as usual please send us any questions you have!
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Mar 23, 2023
So You Think You Know Plate Tectonics? Part 7 - Rocks and Climate
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com**
*Today, we talk about Rocks and climate. Specifically, we discuss the ways that ancient rocks would have interacted with our ancient atmosphere. We begin by talking a little about the Carbon Cycle and how it's affected by plate tectonics. We then discuss some ways that experimental researchers are making rocks in the lab and studying the ways that changing gas compositions affect the oxidation state of mafic minerals.
We hope you enjoy, and as usual please send us any questions you have!
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Mar 16, 2023
So You Think You Know Plate Tectonics? Part 6 - Interior of the Earth
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com**
*Today, Jesse has a bone to pick with Chris. After he gets some issues off his chest, we tackle the topics of Internal Dynamics and Plate Tectonics. Specifically:
* What is the interior structure of the Earth? Chemistry/ physical behavior
* How do we know the interior structure of the Earth?
* Why is the hottest layer of the Earth a solid?
* Why is the LOC liquid?
* What are the 4 main mechanisms for PT?
We hope you enjoy, and as usual please send us any questions you have!
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Mar 9, 2023
What's Inside That Rock? Rock Man Ethan Penner
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
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*Rock Man Ethan is a geoscience communicator and producer of the What's Inside That Rock video series - you can find Ethan on all the social media channels (TikTok, Instagram, Twitter) @rockmanethan. Make sure to check him out!
We hope you enjoy, and as usual please send us any questions you have!
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Mar 2, 2023
Mass Confusion - How to Name a Mineral
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com**
*New minerals are being 'discovered' every year, and there are press articles about them all the time! In this episode we go behind the scenes and dive into what it takes to name a mineral, where new minerals are being found, and why it's important to our everyday lives.
We hope you enjoy, and as usual please send us any questions you have!
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Feb 23, 2023
So You Think You Know Plate Tectonics? Part 5 - Magnetism
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*
We hope you enjoy!
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Feb 16, 2023
When Did Plate Tectonics Begin? Plate Tectonics Part 4
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
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*In this episode, we tackle the issue of when plate tectonics started on Earth and why this is an important question. This is a large part of Jesse's research so he has a lot to say. In order to address this question, we first discuss some parameters and what defines plate tectonics.
We also get into some detail by discussing some variations on the plate tectonics model: Things like sagduction, squishy-lid tectonics, stagnant lid tectonics and episodic tectonics to name a few.
We hope you enjoy!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase…
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Feb 9, 2023
Terroir - The Geology of Wine with Brenna Quigley
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com**
*Do you like wine? Do you know what Terroir is? Our guest, Brenna Quigley, is a leader in the geology of wine and how the geology affects the flavor profile of the grapes - in other words, Terroir! She can be found here to learn more!
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Feb 2, 2023
So, You Think You Know Plate Tectonics?!? Part 3
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
In today's episode, we continue with our series on 'So... You think you know plate tectonics?' - Part 3.
We tackle these questions regarding Planetary Tectonics:
* What would the Earth look like if PT was not an active process?
* Mars has all of the solar system’s largest volcanoes. Why?
* Is there granite on other planets?
* No water, no granites, no oceans, no continents
* Why does PT make Earth a beautiful planet?
We also discuss some future episode ideas that happened to come up during the discussion - like doing an episode series on the Carbon Cycle.
We hope you enjoy!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone Nati…
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Jan 26, 2023
Making Magnets - The Geology of Neodymium
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
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You can also check out Jesse's Etsy shop here - JRRStonework and use promo code PLANETGEO10 for a 10% discount on all items.
Rare Earth Elements are a huge topic in mining and geology now, and in technology. The most important at the moment is Neodymium (Nd) and it is also really important for geology research. Let’s cover the basics.
In this episode, we discuss Neodymium in two broad concepts: 1- the importance for society and geological research, and 2- the geology of Neodymium.
Some example of the societal importance are that these are the strongest commercially available magnets, they are used in electric and hybrid vehicle motors - the two motors in a Tesla that make it go fast! Toyota Prius said to contain ~ 1kg of Nd in it’s motor, it's used in wind turbines, Buckeyballs (banned because kids kept swallowing them, they're use in MRI machines. These are…
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Jan 19, 2023
Elemental Geology 4 - Lithium, Making Batteries (ReRelease)
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
You can also check out Jesse's Etsy shop here - JRRStonework and use promo code PLANETGEO10 for a 10% discount on all items.
We are on a break still, but releasing episodes on the really important elements - where they are found, why the are found there, and why we care about these elements in our society! There is some really interesting stuff in here, so enjoy.
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Lithium is only becoming more important to our society, and demand for lithium continues to skyrocket since it is used in everything from Tesla batteries to ceramics. Your phone has ~3g of lithium in it!
We cover the geology of lithium in this episode - where it occurs and why!
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a v…
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Jan 12, 2023
Elemental Geology 3 - Critical Minerals with Dr. Nedal Nassar (ReRelease)
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
You can also check out Jesse's Etsy shop here - JRRStonework and use promo code PLANETGEO10 for a 10% discount on all items.
We are on a break still, but releasing episodes on the really important elements - where they are found, why the are found there, and why we care about these elements in our society! There is some really interesting stuff in here, so enjoy.
Remember you can Support Us Here,
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Today we have the great pleasure of talking about a very important topic, while interviewing one of the best and most interesting people we've had the pleasure of speaking with!
Dr. Nedal Nassar is the Chief of the US Geological Survey’s Materials Flow Analysis Section, he has a PhD in Industrial Ecology from Yale and is a Leading member of the US National Science and Technology Council. In addition, he was awarded th…
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Jan 5, 2023
Elemental Geology 2: Iridium, the Meteorite Tracer (ReRelease)
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
You can also check out Jesse's Etsy shop here - JRRStonework and use promo code PLANETGEO10 for a 10% discount on all items.
We are on a break still, but releasing episodes on the really important elements - where they are found, why the are found there, and why we care about these elements in our society! There is some really interesting stuff in here, so enjoy.
Remember you can Support Us Here,
and share PlanetGeo with your friends and family!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of…
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Dec 29, 2022
Elemental Geology 1 - Radon, the Unwelcome Houseguest (ReRelease)
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
You can also check out Jesse's Etsy shop here - JRRStonework and use promo code PLANETGEO10 for a 10% discount on all items.
We are on a break still, but releasing episodes on the really important elements - where they are found, why the are found there, and why we care about these elements in our society! There is some really interesting stuff in here, so enjoy.
Remember you can Support Us Here,
and share PlanetGeo with your friends and family!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of…
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Dec 22, 2022
Volcanoes Revisited: Part 4 - Volcanology Director Tina Neal
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
We are on a break! But, we have so much great volcanology content from past episodes and interviews, we decided to release them all in a sequence. Four parts will be coming at you over the next few weeks, with interviews from some of the top volcanologists out there in the field. Let us know what you think!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo ep…
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Dec 15, 2022
Volcanoes Revisited: Part 3 - Volcano Basics
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
We are on a break! But, we have so much great volcanology content from past episodes and interviews, we decided to release them all in a sequence. Four parts will be coming at you over the next few weeks, with interviews from some of the top volcanologists out there in the field. Let us know what you think!
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Dec 8, 2022
Volcanoes Revisited: Part 2 - Dr. Andrew Calvert ReRelease
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
We are on a break! But, we have so much great volcanology content from past episodes and interviews, we decided to release them all in a sequence. Four parts will be coming at you over the next few weeks, with interviews from some of the top volcanologists out there in the field. Let us know what you think!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo ep…
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Dec 1, 2022
Volcanoes Revisited: Part 1 - Volcanologist Dr. Diana Roman
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
We are on a break! But, we have so much great volcanology content from past episodes and interviews, we decided to release them all in a sequence. Four parts will be coming at you over the next few weeks, with interviews from some of the top volcanologists out there in the field. Let us know what you think!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo ep…
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Nov 25, 2022
Office Hours: Plate Tectonics Questions/Thoughts
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Nov 17, 2022
So You Think You Know Plate Tectonics? Part 2
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
In today's episode, we continue with our series on 'So... You think you know plate tectonics?' - Part 2.
Can you answer the following questions?
1- How do sedimentary rocks relate to plate tectonics?
2- How does plate tectonics explain or relate to the formation of metamorphic rocks?
3- How does plate tectonics relate to the formation of very important mineral resources?
Jesse and Chris have a casual conversation centered around relating these questions to plate tectonics. We would love feedback and / or listener questions regarding this episode or the series in general. Enjoy!
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Nov 10, 2022
A Groovy Geologist - Cate Larsen
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com**
*You can find out more about Cate Larsen and all her social media links here at groovygeologist.com!
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Cate - aka - groovygeologist is a geo-communicator. She utilizes the power of the internet to bring geology education to the masses. She has a B.S. in geology and a passion for teaching. Cate has her hands in a lot of things. She hosts a weekly livestream called Rocks and Hops where she teaches more structured lessons while drinking a craft beer. She also hosts a podcast called The Schist of It.
Jesse and Chris ran into Cate at the GSA meetings in Denver this past October. We knew right away that this would be a great opportunity to look at geoscience education in a very unique way. We hope you enjoy this entertaining interview.
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Nov 3, 2022
So... You Think You Know Plate Tectonics? Part 1
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
One day, I (Chris) walked into class and announced that we were beginning plate tectonics. I was so excited to begin teaching this content. The response from my students was not at all what I expected. They let me know that they had all the plate tectonics they could handle in middle school and there wasn't anything left to learn. They knew the 3 basic types of plate boundaries (kind of) - divergent, convergent, and the T-one. I then started asking deeper level questions that tested their ability to apply this huge theory to make sense of the world around them.
During lunch that day, I began writing a series of questions about the unifying theory of plate tectonics. Needless to say, their understanding was skin deep and that's totally Okay. I wanted to show that we can take a basic understanding and use it to make so much more sense of our world.
That "event" gav…
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Oct 27, 2022
Discovering Diamonds: The Story of Canada's Diamond Rush with Kevin Krajick
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Link to: Barrenlands: The Epic Search for Diamonds in Canada's
Today, we get to interview author Kevin Krajick. Below is a small sample of his credentials and accolades.
* Senior Editor Science News Communications, Columbia Climate School
* Author at State of the Planet
* Work has been featured in National Geographic, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Science, Smithsonian Mag, etc
* Two time Winner of the American Geophysical Union's Walter Sullivan Award - excellence in science journalism
* Finalist for the National Magazine Award for Public Service
We were interested in interviewing Kevin because of his book on Searching for diamonds in the Northwest Territories in Canada. This is a place near and dear to Jesse's heart because he does a lot of research up there. The book is exceptional and reads more like a novel mainly because of two featured individuals: C…
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Oct 20, 2022
Communicating the Earth Observatory: Author Kevin Krajick
Link to: Barrenlands: The Epic Search for Diamonds in Canada's
Today, we get to interview author Kevin Krajick. Below is a small sample of his credentials and accolades.
* Senior Editor Science News Communications, Columbia Climate School
* Author at State of the Planet
* Work has been featured in National Geographic, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Science, Smithsonian Mag, etc
* Two time Winner of the American Geophysical Union's Walter Sullivan Award - excellence in science journalism
* Finalist for the National Magazine Award for Public Service
We were interested in interviewing Kevin because of his book on Searching for diamonds in the Northwest Territories in Canada. This is a place near and dear to Jesse's heart because he does a lot of research up there. The book is exceptional and reads more like a novel mainly because of two featured individuals: Chuck Fipke and Stewart (Stu) Blusson. They are both Canadian geologists, prospectors, businessmen, helicopter pilot, etc. C…
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Oct 13, 2022
Don't Take it For Granite - Geology of Countertops
Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
In this episode, we tackle the confusing industry of "granite" countertops. It's confusing because it seems as though all rock countertops are called "granite". However, to a geologist, granite is a very specific type of rock and only a small percentage of countertops are actually granite.
There are maybe 5 or so major rock types that are all found in the "granite" countertop category. We spend some time talking about each major type:
* Marble - this might be named accurately actually in most places. Is it very white with no distinct grains showing? Then it is probably marble. Especially if it has long dark wavys streaks
* Granite - there is some real granite in there! Does it have pink, white, grey, and a few black flecks in it? Most of the grains are smaller than your fingernail? Then it may actually be granite. Can be white - no pink, too. Has to have some black f…
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Oct 6, 2022
Capturing Carbon - The Basics of Carbon Capture and Storage
Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
In this episode, we dive into a very important topic that will play an increasing role in the climate change crisis. Carbon (CO2) capture and storage (CCS) is a big geoscience problem, and a possible solution to climate change. But, we need to understand these two terms well - it’s all about making rocks!* *
The oceans capture carbon for us, but we want to help this process along. In order to do that, we need to find ways to concentrate the Carbon because it's in such a low overall concentration in the atmosphere. We discuss some of the ways companies are trying to speed up the concentration process.
Once the Carbon is captured, we need to find ways to store it. Rocks such as limestone in the ocean is a natural way for Carbon storage. Again, we discuss some of the creative ways companies are researching to effectively store the captured carbon. We hope you enjoy our di…
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Oct 3, 2022
Introducing campGEO
Click this link to try campGEO today!
geo.campcourses.com
Today, we are very excited to launch campGEO - our conversational textbook to help you learn geology.
This is a structured and image-based approach to learning. Geology is a visual field, so you need images to fully understand what we are talking about! Now you have them. Login to campGEO using the common social media logins, and access all our content for free!
You can also visit our website CampCourses where you can find the link and a QR code to share.
Remember, if you like what we do here, share with your friends, leave us a rating and a review, and follow us on social media!
www.campcourses.com
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content,…
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Sep 29, 2022
The Doomsday Glacier - Professor Richard Alley Part 2
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
This is a link to the video of the Quick Clay Slide at Dissa video Dr. Alley references. This shows what can also happen to a glacier when it loses it's toe-hold as described in this episode.
Dr. Richard Alley is a renowned glaciologist and paleoclimate scientist. He is also widely regarded as one of the best professors at Penn State University. Below is a list of his impressive credentials:
* National Academy of Sciences
* Foreign Member of the Royal Society
* Evan Pugh University Professorship
* Penn State’s top teaching award
* Presidential Young Investigator Award
* Earth - the Operator’s Manual -
* Briefed senators, international legislators, and a sitting US Vice President
* Published an unbelievable >310 papers/books/etc
Join us as we discuss climate change, glaciers, and sea level. Much of his current research is on a Western Antarcti…
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Sep 22, 2022
Earth: The Operator's Manual - Professor Richard Alley Part 1
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Dr. Richard Alley is a renowned glaciologist and paleoclimate scientist. He is also widely regarded as one of the best professors at Penn State University. Below is a list of his impressive credentials:
* National Academy of Sciences
* Foreign Member of the Royal Society
* Evan Pugh University Professorship
* Penn State’s top teaching award
* Presidential Young Investigator Award
* Earth - the Operator’s Manual -
* Briefed senators, international legislators, and a sitting US Vice President
* Published an unbelievable >310 papers/books/etc
Join us as we discuss climate change, glaciers, and sea level. Much of his current research is on a Western Antarctic glacier called Thwaites Glacier. It's been dubbed the doomsday glacier because of its likely impact on sea level. Alley is a gifted speaker and uses incredible analogies to paint a vivid pict…
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Sep 15, 2022
The Worst Year to Be Alive - 536 AD
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
536 AD was not a good year to be to be a human - especially in Eastern Europe. Below are some written descriptions of what it was like:
* Michael the Syrian, wrote: "[T]he sun became dark and its darkness lasted for one and a half years [...] Each day it shone for about four hours and still this light was only a feeble shadow [...] the fruits did not ripen and the wine tasted like sour grapes."
* A prefect of Italy at the time, wrote: "so we have had a winter without storms, spring without mildness, summer without heat."
* A roman politician wrote: “the sun had a buish color, the moon lost its luster and the seasons seem to be jumbled up together.
Global temperatures fell by 2.5 degrees C (5 degrees F) on average. The culprit was an Icelandic volcano that began eruption in early 536 AD. This was punctuated by another eruption in 540, the bubonic plague in…
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Sep 8, 2022
Canyonlands National Park
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Canyonlands National Park is the (big) sibling to Arches - the geology is very similar but the view you get on that geology is completely different!
Here we discuss some of the differences, and give a quick rundown of where to go to see some of that spectacular geology.
As always, send us any questions you may have!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
Download now **at this link**
*Like, Subscribe, and leave us a Rating!…
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Sep 1, 2022
Arches National Park
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Arches are an amazing geologic feature and they occur in very high density in Arches National Park - located in Utah!
In this episode we discuss the regional geology of the area, the Paradox Basin, and then get into some of the detailed processes that form arches throughout the park!
As always, send us any questions you may have!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
Download now **at this link**
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Aug 25, 2022
Great Rocks, Summer Excursions, and Confusing Minerals
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
After a long break from recording, Chris and Jesse return to our studios to discuss our extremely busy summer. Jesse recaps his trip to Hawaii where he saw some amazing geology. He also talks about teaching field camp in Idaho to some of the Penn State undergrads. His favorite though, was continuing his field research in the Northwest Territories of Canada. He and his PhD student collected over 1,000 pounds of rocks. When asked about his favorite rocks seen this summer, Jesse didn't hesitate - the ancient rocks in Northern Canada. The toothpaste rocks won out over the much younger pahoehoe rocks of Hawaii.
Chris talked about taking 26 high school seniors out West for 3 weeks on the field course that he teaches. They went to the South Dakota Badlands, Black Hills, Devils Tower, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park. The floods that ravaged Yellowston…
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Aug 18, 2022
Only the Strong Survive - Sand
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Sand comes from chemical and/or physical weathering of rocks, and is critically important to our society!
Most sand formation begins in the soil - soil has water to further break down the pieces. And the location where sand is formed plays a really important role in how useful sand is for concrete and ceramics. Most beach sand and desert sand is too rounded to be used!
As always, send us any questions you may have!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen t…
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Aug 11, 2022
Rocks and Rules - Putting Things in Order
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Today we talk about the basic Principles of Geology - the basic observations that allow us to put geologic events in a relative order of when they occurred.
The five principles are 1) Superposition, 2) Original Horizontality, 3) Cross-cutting Relationships, 4) Inclusions, and 5) Correlation/Continuity.
Armed with these five rules, you can understand a lot more about the history of the world around you!
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Aug 4, 2022
Red River Gorge, Kentucky
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
Download now **at this link**
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Jul 28, 2022
Age of the Earth - or, How to Build a Planet
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
The Earth is old...very old. But, the Solar System is older!
We discuss how we know the age of the Earth, what the age of a planet means anyways, and how planets form!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Jul 21, 2022
Magma Oceans and Triple Junctions - Listener Questions Part 2!
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Thank you Valeria, Chelsea and Natalia for the excellent questions! Keep them coming!
Today we answer some of your very interesting geoscience questions ranging from how the moon formed to what's going on in Vinicunca Peru!
We talk about the Mendocino Triple Junction, one of the most rapidly rising places on Earth, the magma ocean's that formed the moon, and how sedimentary rocks can get such spectacularly beautiful coloring to them!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National…
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Jul 14, 2022
Making Batteries: The Geology of Lithium
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Lithium is only becoming more important to our society, and demand for lithium continues to skyrocket since it is used in everything from Tesla batteries to ceramics. Your phone has ~3g of lithium in it!
We cover the geology of lithium in this episode - where it occurs and why!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Jul 7, 2022
Earth's Leaky Core and Michigan Geology - Your Questions Part 1
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Thank you Cathy and Matt for the excellent questions! Cathy sent us a question associated with This Article and Matt asked about Michigan geology (perhaps not knowing the long-winded answer he was in for!).
We received a TON of excellent questions from you all so we will have a Part 2 coming out soon - stay tuned to hear answers to your questions!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
Download now **at this link**
*Like, Subsc…
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Jun 30, 2022
Devils Tower National Monument
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Devils Tower National Monument is a must see on any road trip in South Dakota! In fact, you can think of Chris Bolhuis while you are listening, as he is currently teaching 26 lucky high school students at Devils Tower at the moment!
The geology of this amazing spectacle has it all - beautiful sedimentary rocks, unique volcanic rocks, and great columnar joints that make the Tower look utterly striking.
Devils Tower is a unique rock called a phonolite, and it represents some part of an ancient volcano's plumbing system - a 40 million year old volcano!
As usual Like, Subscribe, and leave us a Rating, but don't forget to share PlanetGeo with someone you know!
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Jun 23, 2022
Badlands National Park
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Badlands National Park is a spectacular place to visit! If you are traveling to the Rocky Mountains, it is a great stop to get started.
Fossils are everywhere in the Badlands National Park, and the rocks have really amazing colorations to them.
However, badlands are a geologic feature! There are a few specific things required to form badlands and we discuss those key traits, as well as some of the basic principles of badlands generally.
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone Natio…
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Jun 16, 2022
Breakthrough Energy: Ashley Grosh
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
After Listening back on this episode (both the short and the full interview), my wife and I had a conversation. I asked her what she thought. Her reply was that she was full of hope after listening. Join us as we have an incredible conversation with Ashley Grosh. She is Vice President of the Breakthrough Energy Fellows program which is designed to find and fund innovators working to bring climate technology solutions to the market. She worked at Wells Fargo for 15 years where she managed a $100 million impact program and was largely involved as a thought leader in the company's overall ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and sustainable finance strategies and commitments.
Ashely is a former athlete and avid sports fan. She played Division 1 soccer for University of Colorado. She now coaches soccer for Colorado Elevation FC - academy soccer program.
Team sp…
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Jun 9, 2022
Soccer, Mining, and Investing: Ashley Grosh of Breakthrough Energy Fellows
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
After Listening back on this episode (both the short and the full interview), my wife and I had a conversation. I asked her what she thought. Her reply was that she was full of hope after listening. Join us as we have an incredible conversation with Ashley Grosh. She is Vice President of the Breakthrough Energy Fellows program which is designed to find and fund innovators working to bring climate technology solutions to the market. She worked at Wells Fargo for 15 years where she managed a $100 million impact program and was largely involved as a thought leader in the company's overall ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and sustainable finance strategies and commitments.
Ashely is a former athlete and avid sports fan. She played Division 1 soccer for University of Colorado. She now coaches soccer for Colorado Elevation FC - academy soccer program.
Team sp…
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Jun 2, 2022
Carbon Dating: The Method and Misconceptions
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
People often wonder, why can't we date diamonds? Today, we answer that!
Here, we talk through the basics of Carbon Dating, also called RadioCarbon Dating! Radiocarbon is an awesome technique that also has some really common misconceptions about it. We go through the basics of this amazing method, with great analogies as usual, and we cover all those misconceptions!
Carbon dating is a great tool for dating things that were once alive. However, the half-life of Carbon-14 is 5,730 years. This means that after something has been dead for over 50,000 years, there is virtually no Carbon-14 left to date. This is why Carbon dating can't be used on dinosaurs (or diamonds) - no Carbon-14 remains.
Also, Carbon dating is not an appropriate tool for dating most rocks for two reasons. First, most rocks don't have abundant Carbon-14 when they formed. Second, most rocks are ver…
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May 26, 2022
Geoscience News this Week!
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
In todays episode, Jesse and Chris re-visit an idea on GeoScience in the news. This was fun for us. We didn't talk before we picked our topics. We realized that there are so many geoscience topics in the news and that we need to do more of this type of thing. Here are the links to our articles we chose. Sit back and enjoy!!
Link to Chris's Article
Link to Jesse's article
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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May 19, 2022
Super_Volcanoes: Dr. Robin George Andrews
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Join us this week for our interview of Dr. Robin George Andrews. Robin George Andrews is a freelance science journalist based in London. His work has appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Scientific American, Gizmodo, Atlas Obscura and elsewhere. He trained as a volcanologist, earning a doctorate in the subject, but then realized that telling people stories of spectacular eruptions and off-world scientific shenanigans brought him more joy than academia ever could. His upcoming book — Super Volcanoes: What They Reveal about Earth and the Worlds Beyond is out now - go buy a copy!
I must admit, it took Jesse and I a while to realize that the book is called Super Volcanoes - two words. In other words, all volcanoes are super. Most volcanologists strongly dislike the term Supervolcanoes - one word, that is typically used to describe Yello…
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May 12, 2022
Who Becomes a Volcanologist? Dr. Robin Andrews
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Join us this week for our interview of Dr. Robin George Andrews. Robin George Andrews is a freelance science journalist based in London. His work has appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Scientific American, Gizmodo, Atlas Obscura and elsewhere. He trained as a volcanologist, earning a doctorate in the subject, but then realized that telling people stories of spectacular eruptions and off-world scientific shenanigans brought him more joy than academia ever could. His upcoming book — Super Volcanoes: What They Reveal about Earth and the Worlds Beyond is out now - go buy a copy!
I must admit, it took Jesse and I a while to realize that the book is called Super Volcanoes - two words. In other words, all volcanoes are super. Most volcanologists strongly dislike the term Supervolcanoes - one word, that is typically used to describe Yello…
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May 5, 2022
Hiking Great Smoky Mountain National Park
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Apr 28, 2022
Great Smoky Mountain National Park
The air is clearing!
In this episode, we discuss the geology of Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We've been neglectful of this region of the U.S. and it's time to do these amazing mountains justice.
We begin by discussing why the Smokies are Smoky. It's an interesting and natural phenomenon that involves the immense pine forests.
After we get the biology out of the way, we dive into the geology. We broke it down to 3 major geologic events: 1- the bedrock geology and the accumulation of a massive amount of sediment from the breakup of Rodinia (a super-continent that preceded Pangaea). 2- Deformation and mountain building from the Pangaea collision. 3- Erosion as Pangaea broke apart.
We hope you enjoy!
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Apr 21, 2022
Industrial Ecology and Critical Minerals: Dr. Nedal Nassar
Today we have the great pleasure of talking about a very important topic, while interviewing one of the best and most interesting people we've had the pleasure of speaking with!
Dr. Nedal Nassar is the Chief of the US Geological Survey’s Materials Flow Analysis Section, he has a PhD in Industrial Ecology from Yale and is a Leading member of the US National Science and Technology Council. In addition, he was awarded the 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, which is a very VERY big deal!
Please enjoy this amazing conversation with Dr. Nassar, and send us any questions you have!!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geolog…
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Apr 14, 2022
What is a Critical Mineral? Dr. Nedal Nassar
Today we have the great pleasure of talking about a very important topic, while interviewing one of the best!
Dr. Nedal Nassar is the Chief of the US Geological Survey’s Materials Flow Analysis Section, he has a PhD in Industrial Ecology from Yale and is a Leading member of the US National Science and Technology Council. In addition, he was awarded the 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, which is a very VERY big deal!
Join us next week to hear more from Dr. Nassar!
** Just a quick note - Dr. Nassar slightly misspoke in this episode when talking about Tantalum and corrected himself later. Tantalum is actually combined with niobium, vanadium, and zirconium. Tellurium is combined with elemental boron.
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Apr 7, 2022
Radon: The Unwelcome Houseguest
Are you worried about Radon in your home?
Here are a few valuable links to learn more about it and some resources to get a test -
*United States Environmental Protection Agency page**
**United States Geological Survey FAQ**
**United States Map of Radon Risk (get your home checked!)**
*Today we talk about Radon!
Radon is something you have probably heard of, but may not know much about. It is a really important aspect of geoscience that touches our lives everyday.
Radon is an element that is radioactive. It is formed from the decay of Uranium as Uranium breaks down into Lead. Radon is special because it is a Noble Gas, which means it is an element that doesn't bond with other elements, so it can move around easily. When Uranium decays, it goes through several steps of decay and eventually gets to Radon.
Once Radon is formed, it can move. Radon is a gas and can flow through soils, in water, or even seep through concrete. So, it can make it into your house! Once there, Radon can hang…
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Mar 31, 2022
Your Questions! Road Collapse in the United Kingdom (GeoShort)
Thanks to our UK listener Valeria for this excellent question!
Valeria wondered what was going on with road collapses in the UK recently! Luckily, some experts have looked into this and wrote this recent blog post that proposes some ideas, and suggests further research is necessary.
In this Geoshort, we discuss these options, as well as explain what Solifluction is, and how it moves soil in a very powerful and slow process.
Thanks Valeria for an excellent question! We look forward to many more from you and other listeners of PlanetGeo.
As usual, please follow us on all the social media accounts or shoot us an email!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Y…
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Mar 24, 2022
National Geographic and Geoscience Writing - Dr. Maya Wei-Haas
Join us as we interview Dr. Maya Wei-Haas who works as a science journalist for National Geographic. Dr. Wei-Haas has a PhD in geoscience, has done top-tier research. In our discussion, she explains why she decided to pivot and use her extensive background to write interesting articles about our amazing planet. This was not an easy decision for Dr. Wei-Haas to make as writing did not come naturally - just another obstacle for her to overcome. Sit back and listen to this intriguing discussion about Earth science, writing, and life.
Dr. Maya Wei-Haas has an impressive CV: She has a PhD in Geoscience, but now works as a science journalist for National Geographic. Here are some of the awards Dr. Wei-Haas has won!
* Science Journalist for National Geographic - particular affection for Rocks and Reactions,
* Assistant Editor - Smithsonian Magazine
* American Academy for the Advancement of Science Fellow in 2015
* PhD in Earth Science from Ohio State University
* ASCE Excellence i…
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Mar 17, 2022
Daylight Saving Time: Interview with Dr. Maya Wei-Haas
*Dr. Maya Wei-Haas has an impressive CV: See below. She has a PhD in Geoscience, but now works as a science journalist for National Geographic. Dr. Wei-Haas has had to overcome some major obstacles to become a professional journalist. Join us in this interesting discussion about a recent article on Daylight Saving Time.
Science Journalist for National Geographic - particular affection for Rocks and Reactions, *
*Assistant Editor - Smithsonian Magazine*
*American Academy for the Advancement of Science Fellow in 2015*
*PhD in Earth Science from Ohio State University*
*ASCE Excellence in Journalism Award 2021*
*AGU’s Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism (2020)*
*National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow (2010-2015)*
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Mar 10, 2022
A Geology Bullseye: The Black Hills of South Dakota
The Black Hills happens to be one of our favorite places. We thought it was the right time to talk about them as people are getting the itch for summer to arrive so we can play in the mountains. The Black Hills is the perfect area to orient a young family to a life of adventure and respect for the outdoors. You can't get into too much trouble here and these mountains and the surrounding area offers so much to do. The Black Hills of South Dakota are a destination - not a speed bump on your way out West. Sit back and enjoy!
*Geology of the Hills*
* *The geology is complex but there are 3 basic suites of rock formations. The igneous and metamorphic core in the southern part of the Hills (Black Elk Peak, Mount Rushmore), some intrusive and extrusive igneous activity in the northern part of the hills (Bear butte and Devils Tower), and the sedimentary rocks that rim and surround the entire area (Racetrack and Wind Cave). From a 30,000 foot perspective, everythings looks like a huge oval…
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Mar 3, 2022
Eruption, The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens: Author Steve Olson
Join us as we interview science writer Steve Olson about his book *Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens*. For his outstanding work on this book, he won the Washington State Book Award and was named one of the best nonfiction books of 2016 by Amazon. Steve is also the author of the book The Apocalypse Factory: Plutonium and the Making of the Atomic Age, a new history of the nuclear era told from the perspective of the Hanford nuclear reservation. He also is the author of Mapping Human History: Genes, Race, and Our Common Origins, which was nominated for the National Book Award, and other books, and he has written for the Atlantic Monthly, Science, the Smithsonian, and many other magazines. Since 1979, he has been a consultant writer for the National Academy of Sciences, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and other national scientific organizations.
In the book, Steve writes about the forestry industry, the history of the National Forest, and he t…
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Feb 24, 2022
Modern Mount St. Helens: Author Steve Olson (GeoShort)
Join us in a preview to our full interview with science writer Steve Olson!
In this GeoShort, we cover the modern science of Mount St. Helens, a bit about Steve's writing career, and discuss the importance of geoscience!
Tune in next week for the full interview.
In the book, Steve writes about the forestry industry, the history of the National Forest, and he tells the human side of the story before, during, and after the eruption. In this interview, we ask Steve a series of questions that came to mind as we read his book. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this outstanding conversation with author Steve Olson. The stories are fantastic.
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on t…
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Feb 17, 2022
Volcanoes Around the World: Tina Neal - Director of the United States Volcano Science Center
Join Jesse and Chris as we interview Christina (Tina) Neal. Tina has 38 years of experience as a volcanologist for the USGS. She is the Volcano Science Center Director and is in charge of all 5 of the U.S. volcano observatories.
Yes, that's right - there are 5 volcano observatories in the U.S.: California Volcano Observatory, Cascade Volcano Observatory, Alaska Volcano Observatory, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, and Hawaii Volcano Observatory. Neal oversees 170 employees and is responsible for science and operational planning; workforce development; improving diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; and preparing the USGS for U.S. volcanic eruptions.
In 2018, Neal was the Scientist in Charge at the Hawaii Observatory. She paints a vivid picture of what it was like to be there for this historic eruption and also the incredible responsibility to forecast and communicate during this time. She was a finalist for the Samuel Haymen Service to America Medal for her and her teams o…
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Feb 10, 2022
The Geology of Iridium, The Meteorite Tracker
In this episode, Jesse and Chris follow up on the K-T Extinction episode from last week. Why is Iridium so important in this story? Our show notes summary is below.
Why is Iridium identified in these layers?
* Well, it’s higher in meteorites - but not really high.
* Why is it higher in meteorites though?
* It’s not actually high in meteorites, it’s low in the Earth’s crust! Very very very low.
* Yet, Earth is made of meteorites, so where did the Ir go?
* Most of it is in the core and we talk about why.
* Very rare on the surface of the Earth - only three metric tons mined and used yearly
* The most corrosion resistant substance known - even at high temperatures
* If it's so corrosion resistant, what is it used for?
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Feb 3, 2022
Meteors+Dinosaurs+Geology = Extinction!
Join Jesse and Chris as we explore the hypothesis that an asteroid ended the Cretaceous AND the age of the reptiles. It's a very compelling scientific story of discovery.
This has been hotly debated back and forth for a long long time, with consensus being reached only recently (since I was in graduate school)
* Other options include a massive volcanic outpouring - Deccan Traps in India erupted >1 million cubic km of lava in a million year period, with 50% of that coming before the mass extinction event.
* The question is really about what killed so much stuff? How does the Earth respond to massive impacts? There have been other large meteorite impacts (and big volcanic eruptions) with no mass extinction - why this one?
* Was the Earth already in a sorry state (lots of CO2 and mercury in the atmosphere) before the extinction?
* Flood basalt volcanism is tied to other major mass extinction events (end-Permian and end-Triassic)
As we look at the evidence, we bounce around the…
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Jan 27, 2022
Water Issues Part 4: The Geology of Hard Water (Re-Release)
Chris and Jesse are recording this intro face to face in Michigan! We had a lot of fun actually recording together rather than from 600 miles apart. Join us in our final Re-release series on water.
Show notes are below:
This week we tackle a big question: why is the ocean so salty? Spoiler alert: it's because of the hard water you may have running through your house!
In this episode we cover three major questions: 1) Why is the ocean salty? 2) Why do rivers keep flowing all the time? and 3) What is hard water? Guess what...they are all related!
Hard water is water that is "hard" to make a lather with. This is caused by dissolved ions in the groundwater. Those ions get there because groundwater interacts with rocks under... wait for it... the ground! This groundwater feeds rivers, which then flow into lakes and ultimately the oceans. The ocean water then evaporates, leaves behind the salty stuff from dissolved rocks, forms clouds and rain, and starts the whole process over again. Exc…
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Jan 20, 2022
The Volcano Heard Around the World: Literally!
Join us as we interrupt our water series re-release to talk about a major current event - the eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano in Tonga.
It was a huge eruption in the South Pacific from a very active volcano. Its had some smaller eruptions in the last few months, but Saturday morning took the lid off.
In fact, some instrumented Cascade volcanoes - Mt Hood, Mt Saint Helens, and Mt Ranier, detected infrasound records (essentially specialized microphones). The second longer but lower-magnitude signal that shows up later in the plot - is the airwave passing by the station again -- having come from the other direction! That’s right, the airwave has wrapped around the planet! The first wave traveled a distance of ~8500 km (~5300 miles). The second traveled ~32,500 km (20,200 miles)! In fact, barometers at O'hare airport in Chicago picked up the compression sound waves.
You may be wondering: why was there a volcano here in the first place? The answer is: plate tectonics! Ton…
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Jan 13, 2022
Water Issues Part 3: Dams Revisited (A Geology Re-Release)
Jesse and Chris are recording face to face in Michigan. Join us as we follow the water issues theme in our re-release series.
Show notes below:
We liked talking about dams so much we did it again! Join our discussion on streams, how the normally operate, and how dams disrupt the way that streams function.
We highlight a few things in this episode, including a recent Eos article on sediment accumulation behind dams - expertly written by Tullos et al., the Paonia Reservoir where sediment accumulation has filled in the reservoir in record time, and another article on contaminated sediment releases from the Milltown Dam and the Hudson River that have caused big problems in the past, written by James Evans.
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*Chris also gets his long but warranted rant on the famous Aswan High Dam, and key example of the debates around the pros and cons of dams.
Also check out our previous episode on Dams at this link or anywhere you get your podcasts.
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Jan 6, 2022
Water Issues Part 2: Dammed if We Do, Dammed if We Don't (Geology Re-Release)
This is a re-release of a much earlier episode on Dams. In our newly recorded intro, Jesse and I are in person and sitting across from each other as we give a little prelude to the episode. We also decide to re-release our dams revisited episode from earlier this past summer. Enjoy!
In this episode we cover....you guessed it, dams! Dams are incredible manmade features that can not only dominate the landscape but also dominate the river system and fundamentally change how the rivers operate.
We discuss everything from the amount of dams in the United States to major dam failures in the recent past, and highlight some of the basics of how dams fundamentally affect streams when they are installed.
Here are some highlights of the statistics we cover!
* There are roughly 91,000 Dams in the US
* They Impound over 600,000 miles of river or 17% of rivers
* The average age is 59 years
* The number of high-hazard potential dams is over 15,000 and increasing
* It is estimated that o…
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Dec 30, 2021
Water Issues Part 1: Where is the World's Water? (A Geology Re-Release)
A geology re-release of our talk about the worlds water and the issues we face. Jesse and Chris are face to face recording this time which presented some challenges as you'll soon hear. We had fun re-capping our water episode and we hope you have fun too as you hopefully learn a bit.
In this episode, Jesse and Chris talk about water. That's right - water. Where is the worlds water? We begin by lumping all of the worlds water into 6 geological basins: oceans, glaciers, groundwater, lakes, atmosphere, and rivers. We then assign relative percentages to each reservoir and then demonstrate how much water each would hold if all of the worlds water were scaled down to 5 gallons (19 Liters).
What comes to light is that less than 1% of all the worlds water is useable for human consumption - less than a half of a cup on a 5 gallon scale! That "1/2 cup of water" is enough to keep 9 billion people alive, but it is not evenly distributed over the planet.
We use the Great Lakes in the Mid-West Un…
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Dec 23, 2021
Energy and Climate Part 4: Geothermal Energy (Re-Release).
This is Part 4 of our re-released Climate and Energy series! We are on a break right now, but there is always great geoscience information to learn about!
Today we get to talk about something really relevant to our everyday lives, and the future - Geothermal Energy!
Geothermal Energy is a term that means a few different things, but it all relies on the Earth being somewhat hot. So, before we dive into the question of what Geothermal Energy is, we need to figure out why the Earth is hot!
The Earth produces a ton of heat, which is really important to understand how our planet operates over long times (remember plate tectonics??). The heat comes from several sources, and some of it is left over from when the Earth formed - so some of the geothermal energy is tapping into 4.5 billion-year-old heat!
Geothermal energy takes two major forms: 1) passive geothermal heat pumps, often used in residential houses like Jesse's and 2) more active geothermal power plants that use lots of heat from…
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Dec 16, 2021
Energy and Climate Part 3: Ancient Nuclear Reactors (Re-Release).
This is Part III of our re-released Climate and Energy series! We are on a break right now, but there is always great geoscience information to learn about!
Did you know that nuclear fission reactions are natural? Uranium fission drives many types of nuclear power plants as well as nuclear weapons. However, these types of reactions occurred on Earth naturally, just billions of years ago. Today, we discuss the Oklo natural fission reactors in Gabon, Africa.
These natural reactors are not only amazingly cool, but they have a really interesting discovery story and they can teach us a lot about the overlap between nuclear physics and geoscience, how uranium deposits form, and what Earth's ancient atmosphere looked like!
These are important for several reasons:
* Geology and nuclear physics have a very intimate relationship.
* Basically all radiometric dating we use on Earth was developed on the back of research on Uranium nuclear physics and research into nuclear weapons/reactors.…
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Dec 9, 2021
Energy and Climate Part 2: Professor Michael Mann (Re-Release).
Join us as we re-release of our favorite interviews that we have done, with one of the truly great climate scientists and communicators, Professor Michael Mann!
Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor at The Pennsylvania State University, has a long history of studying and discussion climate change. His new book, titled The New Climate War, is out now!
In this episode we interview Mike about his journey in academia, what the new climate war is all about, and what he sees as the best path towards solutions. We discuss how last climate war has ended, what we all can do to fix the problem, and how Dr. Mann sees the future working out.
Remember to leave us a rating and a review, and share PlanetGeo with your friends! Follow us on all the social medias @planetgeocast.
Dr. Michael E. Mann received his undergraduate degrees in Physics and Applied Math from the University of California at Berkeley, an M.S. degree in Physics from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in Geology & Geophysics from Yale…
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Dec 2, 2021
Energy and Climate Part 1: The Greenhouse Effect (Re-Release).
Join us as we discuss the science behind the greenhouse effect and how it all works.
This is a re-release of a much earlier episode. As we take a SHORT break, we decided to release a theme of episodes surrounding Energy and Climate. They are in the news often right now, especially with the COP26 conference. This past fall, we have rising energy costs, wild fires, devastating hurricanes, etc. Energy and climate is on our minds.
In this episode, we talk about the forgotten history of the greenhouse gases. The science behind greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and water is 200 years old. What we began to understand two centuries ago came long before humans had any impact on the composition of our atmosphere and it certainly never occurred to Joseph Fourier and John Tyndall that humans could ever influence the greenhouse effect. The discussion then turns to what scientists know about the greenhouse effect and, more precisely, how it works. This natural phenomenon is a good thing as it m…
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Nov 23, 2021
Where to see Yosemite Geoscience (GeoShort)
Please leave us a review and rating! Follow us on all the social medias we are @planetgeocast
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Nov 18, 2021
Yosemite National Park
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Today, we talk about the geology of Yosemite National Park. Specifically, we dive into 4 different aspects:
1- What's the story behind all this granite?
2- Why do these mountains look the way they do? Glaciers
3- What are all the cracks in the granite about?
4- Rockfall!
The formation of granite is taught in a very traditional way. Magma intrudes deep inside the Earth and then cools slowly as the minerals grow larger. Jesse says that's a very debatable and a hotly researched area now. Jesse schools us on how magma is believed to cool and how we know.
Then we get into the glacial part of Yosemite. There are so many glacial features that are perhaps more obvious here than anywhere. We talk about U-shaped valleys, hanging valleys, horns, and aretes.
Exfoliation is so prevalent here that it is impossible to miss. We get into how exfoliation happens including an exam…
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Nov 11, 2021
Can Aliens See Us? Dr. Jackie Faherty
Astronomers can detect other planets orbiting around stars in the sky. But, can those planets see us? That's the question, and Dr. Jackie Faherty has answers! This conversation is based on a paper that Dr. Faherty coauthored recently, found here.
We interviewed Dr. Jackie Faherty about it! You can follow Dr. Faherty on Twitter and visit her website to learn more!
Please leave us a review and rating! Follow us on all the social medias we are @planetgeocast
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
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Nov 4, 2021
Manhatten-henge - Dr. Jackie Faherty (GeoShort)
Have you heard of Manhattan-Henge? It's a totally cool phenomenon that occurs in The Big Apple every spring and summer.
We interviewed Dr. Jackie Faherty about it! You can follow Dr. Faherty on Twitter and visit her website to learn more!
Please leave us a review and rating! Follow us on all the social medias we are @planetgeocast
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Email: planetgeocast@gmail.com
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
Download now **at this link**
*Like, Subscribe, and leave us a Rating!
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Oct 28, 2021
What's in a Name? Volcano Edition
In this episode, we discuss the categories - or different types of volcanoes in the world. We begin by discussing how the traditional categories, as found in most textbooks, are not adequate. There are too many exceptions to the rules. So we begin by discussing the typical 3 - Shield, stratovolcanoes, and cinder cones. Then, we expand the categories to include rhyolite caldera complexes (often called supervolcanoes), monogenetic fields, flood basalts, and mid-ocean ridge systems. Even with this expanded category list, not all volcanoes fit nicely. Each volcano is its' own snowflake.
With volcanoes, there are exceptions to our categories and some will fall into more than one category. Many students get confused by this because the 3 category system doesn’t allow for exceptions. I think this is Ok, but only if they’re taught that exceptions definitely exist - OR - let’s be more extensive with our categories. To be honest, I’m bothered by the exclusivity of the “3” type syste…
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Oct 21, 2021
Mount St. Helens and Volcano Plumbing Systems (GeoShort)
In this GeoShort, we discuss Mount St. Helens, one of Chris' favorite volcanoes and probably the reason he got into geoscience!
This is the Scientific American article, written by Steve Olson, about Mount St. Helens that serves as the backbone for much of our discussion.
Mount St. Helens is a famous volcano in Washington State that erupted in 1980. Scientists have been studying Mount St. Helens for a long time, and it is one location where magma plumbing systems are studied to try to understand how magma reaches the surface in a volcano.
Magma plumbing systems are really complicated but they control the composition of the lava as well as how explosive the volcanic eruptions are! So, this is important to understand.
As usual, follow us on social media and let us know what you think by sending us an email!
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Oct 14, 2021
Earth's Toxic Twin: An Interview About Venus With Professor Martha Gilmore
Today we are talking about all things Venus! Our host - Professor Martha Gilmore of Wesleyan University - is a world expert on Earth's Toxic Twin planet, Venus.
Venus is the second planet from the sun and the target for newly announced NASA Missions in the coming decade! Venus has a super thick atmosphere that is dominated by CO2, it may or may not have continents, and studying Venus may help us understand Earth much better! As we have covered in previous episodes of PlanetGeo, Venus is the super greenhouse planet, so it may hold lessons for climate change on our own planet.
We hope you enjoy this discussion with Professor Martha Gilmore!
As usual, follow us on social media and let us know what you think by sending us an email
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Oct 7, 2021
Testing Venus - Preview to Interview with Professor Martha Gilmore
Well, we got to interview yet another amazing geoscientist - Professor Martha Gilmore of Wesleyan University!
Professor Gilmore is a world expert on Venus, the second planet from the sun and the target for newly announced NASA Missions in the coming decade! In this preview to the full interview with Dr. Gilmore, we discuss how she collects data on the composition of Venus - despite the atmosphere being way waaaaayyy harder to look through than Earth's!
As usual, follow us on social media and let us know what you think by sending us an email!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
Download…
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Sep 30, 2021
Geothermal Energy - The Basics
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Today we get to talk about something really relevant to our everyday lives, and the future - Geothermal Energy!
Geothermal Energy is a term that means a few different things, but it all relies on the Earth being somewhat hot. So, before we dive into the question of what Geothermal Energy is, we need to figure out why the Earth is hot!
The Earth produces a ton of heat, which is really important to understand how our planet operates over long times (remember plate tectonics??). The heat comes from several sources, and some of it is left over from when the Earth formed - so some of the geothermal energy is tapping into 4.5 billion-year-old heat!
Geothermal energy takes two major forms: 1) passive geothermal heat pumps, often used in residential houses like Jesse's and 2) more active geothermal power plants that use lots of heat from the Earth!
As usual, follow us…
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Sep 23, 2021
Common Misconceptions Part I (GeoShort)
There are so many misconceptions out there!
In this Geoshort episode, Jesse interviews Chris about common Geoscience misconceptions that students have regarding our planet. Jesse is pulling the questions from a list of over 500 misconceptions (link here). Chris has not been given any clues to the questions he's being asked and nothing was discussed prior to recording - join us for a fun off-the-cuff conversation!
Many of the misconceptions deal with the interior of the Earth and plate tectonic related topics. That said, they really span a lot of the material from a typical introductory level geoscience course. Join us in this fun episode and see if you have or have come across the same misconceptions. Also, we welcome suggestions that we missed on this episode as we plan to revisit this at a later time!
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Sep 16, 2021
Gems, Museums, and Minerals: Interview with Dr. Gabriela Farfan
This week is a really special one! We had the great pleasure of interviewing Dr. Gabriela Farfan, the Coralyn W. Whitney Curator of Gems and Minerals at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, the United States National Museum.
Dr. Farfan is a world expert on gems and minerals, and we cover a lot! Everything from a personal look at how Dr. Farfan got into geology and minerals, the future of mineralogy as a field and in education, and why studying the mineralogy of modern corals is important! Her research is looking at how carbonate growing organisms are adapting to our changing oceans - particularly ocean acidification.
The field of mineralogy as a stand alone study is dwindling. Dr. Farfan has a great explanation as to why the study of mineralogy is important and why geology programs should keep it included.
Go back to last week's GeoShort to learn how the Smithsonian Museum gets its minerals and gems!
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Sep 9, 2021
How Museums Get Their Gemstones: Preview to Interview with Dr. Gabriela Farfan (GeoShort)
This week is a really special one! We had the great pleasure of interviewing Dr. Gabriela Farfan, the Coralyn W. Whitney Curator of Gems and Minerals at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, the United States National Museum.
Dr. Farfan is a world expert on gems and minerals, and the full interview (out next week) covers everything minerals!
In this GeoShort, Dr. Farfan tells us some amazing facts about how the Smithsonian Museum actually goes about obtaining the beautiful minerals and gemstones that you can see in the galleries.
Tune in next week for the full episode!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to pas…
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Sep 2, 2021
Geoscience Across the Pond: Interview with Professor Chris Jackson
Curious about how Geoscience goes into the future? Have you ever wondered what causes tsunamis? Ever thought about what it's like to be a minority in the Geosciences?
Professor Chris Jackson has something for everyone! Join us for one of the most interesting discussions we have had on PlanetGEO!
Professor Jackson is an incredible communicator, scientist, and steward of Geoscience. Follow him on Twitter or on his many other public talks! Also, stay tuned for Prof. Jackson's upcoming podcast series called An Adult's Guide to the Earth!
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
Download now **at…
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Aug 26, 2021
What is Sustainable Geoscience? Preview to Interview with Professor Chris Jackson (GeoShort)
This week we have an amazing guest! Professor Chris Jackson joins us for a short discussion on Sustainable Geoscience, what it means to him, and where he sees the future of Geoscience going.
Professor Jackson is an incredible communicator and has so many insightful thoughts that they wouldn't all fit into one single episode. So, join us next week for the full interview and until then enjoy this discussion with one of the great scientists and communicators in our field!
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Email: planetgeocast@gmail.com
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
Download now **at this link**
*Like, Subscribe, and leave us a Rating!
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Aug 19, 2021
The Geoscientific Method: Study Design and Mass Spectrometers
Join us for a free-ranging conversation on how Geoscience Research happens (in one lab group at least)!
Today we talk about a mass spectrometer design project that Jesse is working on, how scientists typically need to fix and modify their own instruments to get them working perfectly, and touch on how scientific inquiry can be better taught to students!
We also describe the basics of a mass spectrometer, the device that has allowed geoscientists to determine the age of the Earth, the rates of plate tectonics, and even determine when supercontinents existed back in time!
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Aug 12, 2021
Are Continents Growing? (Geoshort)
This is a GeoShort followup discussion based on our previous Episode on the origins of continents and Bowen's reaction series! While Bowen's reaction series explains many things — like why is Hawaii different from Yellowstone? — it makes some very interesting predictions!
Chris wonders, does the distillation of continents during Bowen's Reaction Series mean that continents are always growing? In other words, when water gets driven off a subducting slab, it generates magma that is chemically similar to continental crust. Since subduction is so common, the continents must be growing over geologic time. And, this opens up a large discussion with very few answers. Jesse offers up two theories on how continents get destroyed over time. Listen today and follow us on social media and our new webpage!
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Aug 5, 2021
Why Continents Exist: Bowen's Reaction Series
In this episode, we discuss a fundamental principle in geology: Bowen's Reaction Series. This concept is taught in every introductory geology class as it provides answers to important questions such as why continents exist on Earth.
Bowens Reaction explains the relationship between certain minerals and the temperatures in which they form. He found that some minerals are commonly found together in igneous rocks while other minerals are excluded. In short, Bowens Reaction lays out an order in which minerals form as magma cools and also an order in which they melt as rocks are heated.
Also, knowing that minerals are most stable in the conditions in which they form, Bowens Reaction Series also explains mineral stability at the surface of Earth.
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Jul 29, 2021
The Great Salt Lake: Historically Low Water Levels
For some background listen to our previous episode on hard water and why oceans are salty!
Join us on this GeoShort as we discuss the Great Salt Lake, which is going through a period of very, VERY low water levels. The average depth of the Great Salt Lake in Utah is now only 2.4 inches, or 5 cm! This low water level is mostly caused by the drought in the SouthWestern US, and impacts communities around the Great Salt Lake.
In this GeoShort we discuss why salty lakes occur, which is due to the fact that water coming into the lake can only leave by evaporation. And salt doesn't evaporate...it crystallizes. So, when water leaves, the salt stays behind and it just keeps building up in the lake. The particular geology of the SW United States means that there are several large rivers that feed into basins that do not feed into the ocean.
Check out our previous episode on Hard Water to learn how salt gets into water, and why oceans are salty! Remember, although the common table salt (NaCl)…
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Jul 22, 2021
Geysers and Hot Springs: Why They Matter with Examples From Yellowstone National Park
Today we talk about Geysers! And Hot Springs, Mudpots, and Fumaroles! These are extraordinary features that give any landscape a pretty dramatic look. They are also very prevalent in Yellowstone National Park, and we give some key examples from that area.
Hydrothermal features are really important to understand and monitor. So important that the United State Congress passed a law requiring all National Parks to monitor and document hydrothermal features! Hydrothermal features allow us to track heat and water deep within the Earth. This is becoming more important because heat and water give us Geothermal energy systems that might be growing during the coming energy transition.
Join us for a wide ranging discussion on hydrothermal features, how they work, and what they tell us about the Earth!
Like, Follow, and leave us a review!
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Jul 15, 2021
Rock Circles: Geologically Curious Phenomena (GeoShort)
Our GeoShort today focuses on Spherical Weathering, where normal rocks are turned into round shapes by chemical erosion.
Many rocks have cracks in them, called joints, and these joints often break the rocks up into little cubes or rectangular prisms. Cubes and prisms have a high surface area relative to their volume, and the corners especially.
So fluids that have weak acid in them preferentially eat away at the corners, eventually turning the cube of rock into a perfect sphere! Spheres have the lowest Surface Area/Volume of any shape, because they have no corners or edges left. The rock just gets made into a smaller and smaller sphere then.
While spherical weathering is not a common process, it is not rare either. So, keep an eye out when you are outside next, you may find some Spherical Weathering near you!
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Jul 8, 2021
Dammed Up Again: Streams and Dams Part Two
We liked talking about dams so much we did it again! Join our discussion on streams, how the normally operate, and how dams disrupt the way that streams function.
We highlight a few things in this episode, including a recent Eos article on sediment accumulation behind dams - expertly written by Tullos et al., the Paonia Reservoir where sediment accumulation has filled in the reservoir in record time, and another article on contaminated sediment releases from the Milltown Dam and the Hudson River that have caused big problems in the past, written by James Evans.
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*Chris also gets his long but warranted rant on the famous Aswan High Dam, and key example of the debates around the pros and cons of dams.
Also check out our previous episode on Dams at this link or anywhere you get your podcasts.
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Jul 1, 2021
Big Valuable Crystals: Pegmatites (GeoShort)
What type of rock has really big minerals and lots of uncommon elements? It's a pegmatite! Pegmatites contain lots of important elements and minerals, both for our economy and for mineral collectors.
Join us for a tour of pegmatites. We give quick low-down on how pegmatites form. They contain really large mineral grains, which usually implies that they cooled slowly. But, pegmatites form from the leftover fluids from magma chambers and contain all the uncommon (or unpopular!) elements that get concentrated. Once they reach a certain concentration they form rare minerals that are concentrated in things like Lithium, Cesium, or Beryllium!
The minerals in pegmatites grow so fast because the fluid they grow in is much less viscous (more watery) than magma. This means that atoms and ions can diffuse much more quickly to the sites of mineral nucleation, allowing for massive (really really massive, up to 30 ft) crystals of minerals like spodumene and beryl to form.
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Jun 24, 2021
The Spartans Last Stand: Geology of the Hot Gates
Have you ever watched the movie 300 or heard of the Spartans making a stand against the Persian Empire? It's an amazing story right...but it has some amazing geology behind it too.
Geology has influenced historical events in momentous ways, and here on PlanetGeo we are going to start highlighting these ways. This incredible story of the Hot Gates is just the first part of that series.
In this episode we are going to cover
* Let’s start out with the words: *Hot Gates*. First, the Gates part of that. What formed the gates? Well it’s a fault like the Grand Teton National Park, and the tectonics of this region are really complex! We will start narrow (at the gates themselves) and zoom out to the broader region and talk about how complex plate tectonics can be on the 3D surface of the planet.
* We will talk about the Hot part of the Hot Gates, and highlight some hydrothermal activity in the region. This includes hot springs, steam, and volcanoes!
* Lastly, the Hot Gates don’t…
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Jun 17, 2021
Shasta Tourism (Geoshort)
We had such a great conversation with Dr. Andrew Calvert, Scientist-in-Charge of the California Volcano Observatory, that we decided to run it back one more time.
Mount Shasta is clearly a favorite of Dr. Calvert's, and is famous location for hiking, climbing, and skiing. However, it is not a National Park despite the best efforts of the famous John Muir, and is not a true tourist destination. When thinking about visiting Northern California, don't forget to check out Lassen Volcanic National Park to experience more amazing volcano geology! Also, check out our previous discussion with Dr. Calvert about Shastina, the spunky little sister to Mount Shasta. Shastina presents something of a geological conundrum as it doesn't quite fit with the rest of the Cascade volcanoes.
Here is a link to Dr. Calvert's research profile, and a short bio:
*Education*
Ph.D., University of California – Santa Barbara
Dissertation: Metamorphism and exhumation of mid-crustal gneiss domes in the Arctic Al…
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Jun 10, 2021
Observing Volcanoes: Dr. Andrew Calvert, Scientist-in-Charge of CalVO
Today we have the great pleasure of interviewing Dr. Andrew Calvert, the Scientist-in-charge of the California Volcano Observatory. In this conversation we cover a huge range of topics from Mount Shasta, to how magmas form and become more silica rich, the role of federal institutes like CalVo in volcano hazard prediction and monitoring, and some details about potassium-argon (K-Ar, as argon-argon, Ar-Ar) geochronology using noble gases in minerals!
Dr. Calvert also gives and excellent description of how magnetometers are used to map lava flows on old volcanoes. This is an incredible tool that helps drive a deeper understanding of the volumes and rates of past volcanic eruptions, which is very valuable information that is used to help forecast volcano behavior!
Dr. Calvert is an excellent science communicator and has a wide variety of experiences studying volcanoes as well as directing observation and hazard prediction efforts. Join us for an amazing conversation with Dr. Andrew Calve…
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Jun 3, 2021
Lava’s All You Need: Preview to Interview with Dr. Andrew Calvert (GeoShort)
Today we have a preview to our interview with Dr Andrew Calvert, Scientist in Charge of the California Volcano Observatory, also known as CalVO.
Dr. Calvart first fell in love with volcanoes as a young boy growing up in Idaho when Mount Saint Helens erupted. This was the first ash sample he ever collected, and he and Chris share this connection to volcanoes and their interest in geoscience.
In this GeoShort, Dr. Andrew Calvart walks us through a million years of geologic history of Mount Shasta in Northern California. He has collected samples from every lava flow coming from the volcano. A million years ago, Shasta didn't exist. About 700,000 years ago, Shasta began forming. But, similar to Saint Helens, it fell apart about 400,000 years ago. He also talks about how episodic Shasta is compared to many of the other Cascadia stratovolcanoes. It doesn't erupt as often as many of the others. Despite being very eposodic, it's not very explosive (usually). Dr. Calvart also explains how the…
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May 27, 2021
The Day the Dinosaurs Died: Dr. Ian Miller, Director of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Dr. Ian Miller is the Director of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, now working with National Geographic as the Chief Science and Innovation Officer. Dr. Miller is a paleobotanist who has spent his career making amazing discoveries about the ancient Earth using fossils! In this interview Dr. Miller describes what the Earth looked and felt like in the minutes and days after a meteorite impact struck the planet, killing the dinosaurs and creating a global catastrophe! Dr. Miller and his research team have made incredible discoveries that help us understand how life began to recover from this disastrous event, as well as making inferences about the height of the Ancient Rocky Mountains!
If you are planning a trip in or around the Denver, Colorado area, you must listen to this episode to hear about the amazing geoscience story you are driving past! Here is an excerpt from Dr. Miller's profile, and we think you will agree that Dr. Miller is one of the best science communicators out…
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May 20, 2021
Asteroids and Extinctions: Excerpt from Interview with Dr. Ian Miller (Geoshort)
In this GeoShort, Dr. Ian Miller (Director of Earth and Space Sciences, Associate Curator of Paleobotany for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science) compares the end Cretaceous event that killed the Dinosaurs to other mass extinction events.
Jesse and Ian also have a brief discussion about massive lava eruptions that can cause mass extinctions such as the Deccan Traps.
Ian also provides an excellent explanation on how fossils form!
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May 13, 2021
Glacier National Park
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
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Today we are talking about the geology of Glacier National Park! We cover three major things:
*1- The Colors: * The rocks in Glacier have stunning colors and you can see them almost anywhere in the park. The main colors are various shades of red, green, brown, and gray.
First off, focus on the reds: These rocks have a mineral called hematite (Fe2O3). Hematite forms when iron bearing minerals react with O2 to produce the iron oxide. This happens either on land or in shallow enough water so the minerals have access to free O2 from the atmosphere. In Glacier, we know this definitely happened in shallow water. How do we know this? These red rocks contain sedimentary structures such as ripple marks that only form in shallow water….. If rocks have as little as 3% hematite, it can stain the rocks bright red.
Green: These rocks formed in deeper water. In chemistry, we…
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May 6, 2021
Glacier Questions From Our Live Event (GeoShort)
We recorded a live podcast episode with Mappy Hour!
We recorded a live episode on the Geoscience a really special place, Glacier National Park and Waterton National Park in Northwestern Montana and Southern Alberta. The geoscience of these parks is truly special and there are great stories everywhere.
A few of the things we mentioned in these questions are the book Geology along the Going-To-The-Sun Road and the Roadside Geology book series. Check them out for some great info!
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Email: planetgeocast@gmail.com
*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGeo episodes!
Download now **at this link**
*Like,…
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Apr 29, 2021
Discovering Ancient SuperQuakes: Why Large Earthquakes Occur and Where
Exciting news! This Tuesday, May 4th, we will be doing a live podcast recording with Mappy Hour. Register below!
PlanetGeo Mappy Hour Live Recording - Glacier National Park
Today we talk Earthquakes!
The list of EQ dating back to antiquity is shocking. The amplitude and deaths caused are estimated, but a glimpse of this list is very sobering. Below is a list of some of the important and more recent.
* Medieval Europe (italy, spain, portugal) were all very aware of the risks of Earthquakes and were starting to apply new engineering specifically for earthquake mitigation (anchor plates in buildings, exaggerated buttresses).
* 1700: The Cascadia subduction zone. Research by Brain Atwater has revealed when this EQ occurred. Estimated to be 8.7 - 9.2 moment magnitude. Atwater has discovered ghost forests of red cedars that were killed by being lowered and submerged in salt water as a result of a massive EQ. The tree rings date back to 1699 - the last growing season before the EQ. Rec…
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Apr 22, 2021
2.5 Billon Tyrannosaurus rex (GeoShort)
This is an Earth Day special! Today we are talking about this really cool study that came out last week in the scientific journal Science (one of the top journals in all of ‘science’).
It is by Charles Marshall and others from Berkeley, and the title is “Absolute abundance and preservation rate of Tyrannosaurus rex”
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/372/6539/284
The authors also wrote this very cool Conversation (name of the publication) article where scientists and journalists co-write a summary of research.
https://theconversation.com/how-many-tyrannosaurus-rex-walked-the-earth-159041
Well the title pretty well describes what this paper is about, but let’s go through the arguments here, and hopefully we will get a chance to talk to one of the authors of this study at some point in the future!
So, here’s what ‘we’ as the field of science knew before this paper:
* T. rex mated ~15 years old
* Estimates of how long each dinosaur lived
* T. rex walked the…
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Apr 15, 2021
Ancient Nukes: 1.9 Billion-Year-Old Nuclear Reactors
Did you know that nuclear fission reactions are natural? Uranium fission drives many types of nuclear power plants as well as nuclear weapons. However, these types of reactions occurred on Earth naturally, just billions of years ago. Today, we discuss the Oklo natural fission reactors in Gabon, Africa.
These natural reactors are not only amazingly cool, but they have a really interesting discovery story and they can teach us a lot about the overlap between nuclear physics and geoscience, how uranium deposits form, and what Earth's ancient atmosphere looked like!
These are important for several reasons:
* Geology and nuclear physics have a very intimate relationship.
* Basically all radiometric dating we use on Earth was developed on the back of research on Uranium nuclear physics and research into nuclear weapons/reactors.
* Geoscience and national security are intimately related:
* Nuclear forensics, or using isotope analyses to look for people enriching uranium, use the…
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Apr 8, 2021
Grand Canyon Hiking Recommendations (GeoShort)
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Are you planning a trip to the Grand Canyon soon? Are you interested in seeing some cool geoscience features? Join us today as we discuss a few great hikes to check out while visiting the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, USA.
We discuss hiking trails such as the South Kaibab Trail down to the aptly-named Ooh Ahh Point (so beautiful!), and end up at Skeleton Point for a full view of the Canyon in all its glory! Alternatively, you could take the Bright Angel trail, a somewhat nicer hike because of all the restrooms and water stations every 1.5 miles, stop at the amazingly lush Indian Garden, and eventually make your way out to the Plateau Point for a dramatic view directly down to the Colorado River.
The South Rim of the Grand Canyon has an amazing amount of views and hiking that are easily accessible to everyone, even if you don't want to hike very far. For…
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Apr 1, 2021
The New Climate War: Dr. Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor and Author
There is a new climate war afoot. And, there is a book about it! Professor Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor at The Pennsylvania State University, has a long history of studying and discussion climate change. His new book, titled The New Climate War, is out now!
In this episode we interview Mike about his journey in academia, what the new climate war is all about, and what he sees as the best path towards solutions. We discuss how last climate war has ended, what we all can do to fix the problem, and how Dr. Mann sees the future working out.
Send us your questions, thoughts, or suggestions!
Dr. Michael E. Mann received his undergraduate degrees in Physics and Applied Math from the University of California at Berkeley, an M.S. degree in Physics from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in Geology & Geophysics from Yale University.
Dr. Mann was a Lead Author on the Observed Climate Variability and Change chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Scientific Ass…
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Mar 25, 2021
The Feeling of Discovery with Prof. Michael Mann (GeoShort)
Welcome to the preview to our full interview with Professor Michael Mann, prestigious climate scientist and author of the new book, The New Climate War.
Professor Mann is a Distinguished Professor at Penn State University, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and has won many science and science communication awards.
In this GeoShort we discuss the feeling of discovery that Dr. Mann felt when publishing the 1999 scientific article that documented the "hockey stick" graph of CO2 increase in the atmosphere. Below is a short description of Dr. Mann's award-winning career, and join us next week for the full interview with Dr. Mann covering his new book, The New Climate War!
Dr. Michael E. Mann received his undergraduate degrees in Physics and Applied Math from the University of California at Berkeley, an M.S. degree in Physics from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in Geology & Geophysics from Yale University.
Dr. Mann was a Lead Author on the Observed Climate Variability and Chang…
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Mar 18, 2021
The Grand Canyon National Park
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
“Crying: acceptable at funerals and the Grand Canyon” - Ron Swanson
Today, we talk about the Grand Canyon. The scenery and geology combine to create one of the Natural Wonders of the World. If you are planning a trip, or would like to learn more about this spectacular location, listen to this episode!
It’s hard to show the principles of stratigraphy better than what’s on display in the Grand Canyon. Each layer gives clues to the environment of deposition and what the Earth was like at the time the sediment was laid down. It’s one of the best example of the geological Laws of Superposition and Original Horizontality on the planet. Other relative dating principles, that are also amazing textbook examples, include the principles of lateral continuity and cross cutting relations.
In this episode you will learn about the three main groups of rock formations…
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Mar 11, 2021
A Recent Triple-Threat - Earthquakes Shake New Zealand (GeoShort)
In this GeoShort we discuss last week's triple header of large earthquakes off the coast of New Zealand. There were three major earthquakes that occurred all within a few hours of one another.
The first, a magnitude 7.3 quake, was likely unrelated to the other two, but the second one, a 7.4, was a precursor to the last one! The last quake as a giant 8.1, a full 11 times larger than the 7.4 that occurred nearby.
These earthquakes set off tsunami warnings all around the Pacific ocean from New Zealand to Chile, and everywhere in between. Tsunami warnings even sounded in Canada. Luckily, no major tsunamis occurred.
These earthquakes were generated in a plate tectonic subduction zone, where the Pacific plate is diving beneath the Australian plate to the West. The Pacific plate gets stuck though and then pressure builds up until it break!
Check out our previous episode on Plate Tectonics (Ep. 2) and stay tuned for a longer episode on these megathrust earthquakes coming out in a few weeks…
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Mar 4, 2021
The Rise of Geoscience Education: Interview with Professor Steve Mattox
Join us in a wide-ranging discussion with Professor Steve Mattox!
Dr. Mattox is a professor at Grand Valley State University, where he has taught for many years. Dr. Mattox had a very diverse career before going the faculty at Grand Valley, and we discuss his career path, how he became interested in the Geosciences, and what he thinks of the future of geoscience.
Dr. Mattox has led several very interesting research projects surrounding geoscience and society. These include quantifying the number of news articles that relate to the geosciences, studying the tools that teachers used, and developing what is effectively an Advanced Placement Geology course for high schools in Michigan.
Teaching is very familiar for Dr. Mattox and he has won numerous awards for his teaching acumen. Most notable among them are the Michigan Distinguished Professor of the Year Award in 2020 and the Michigan Outstanding Earth Science Teacher Award in 2012.
See below for a summary of Dr. Mattox's experience…
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Feb 25, 2021
Gold in The Outback, Stories with Professor Steve Mattox (GeoShort)
In this GeoShort, we take a snippet from our discussion with Dr. Steve Mattox from GVSU. He has an interesting career path that started out in the economic geology sector working for a mining company looking for base metals (copper, zinc, gold, silver). This took him to some interesting places such as Australia and rural Indonesia. Steve talks about the interesting skill set that geologists have to make sense of an area. For example, Steve talks about finding gold in a sand and gravel deposit ( a placer), and following the deposits up the watershed to find the source rock, and higher concentrations, of gold.
Tune in next week to hear the full interview with Dr. Mattox!
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Feb 18, 2021
Rocks get better with age: HOW and WHY we date them
In this episode we discuss the many ways in which we determine the ages of rocks. This is a really common and important question that many people have. Here, we cover some of the basics. Basically, the methods used to date rocks range from simple intuition that anyone can do if you just spend some time looking at outcrops, to really advanced techniques involving laser and plasma instruments!
We introduce this topic by describing the differences between relative dating, where we put events in order, and absolute dating where we assign numerical ages to specific events. As you might tell from the discussion, the techniques geoscientists use vary widely! We highlight a few of the key principles established by the OG geologists like Charles Lyell, such as the principle of original horizontality, or the law of cross cutting relations. We also discuss the most memorable places that we have seen where these principles are clearly shown!
We then move into discussing how radiometric dating wo…
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Feb 11, 2021
The Viral Cookie Monster Agate and How Agates Form (GeoShort)
Have you seen the viral "cookie monster agate"? If not, check it out via the link below (or our instagram: @planetgeocast)!
Both Chris and Jesse have had this viral agate image shared with them, and today we discuss how agates are formed, and how the represent a really cool and important geologic process; fluid flow!
Agate is a form of microcrystalline silica (like quartz) that often forms from super-saturated fluid. These fluids flow through many parts of the Earth's crust, including through small gaps or cavities in volcanic or sedimentary rocks. The super saturated fluids will deposit agate (or calcite or other minerals) within cavities and they are deposited in concentric rings that grew much like tree rings grow! The different rings can have slightly different colors due to small impurities in the minerals that are being deposited.
However, beware! Agate is a porous material so synthetic dyes can be easily applied to natural agates, turning them to very showing, but artificial,…
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Feb 4, 2021
How We Know What's Inside of the Earth (and Other Listener Questions)!
In this episode, we answer a series of really excellent listener questions.
Mrs. White, a high school teacher, assigned our plate tectonics episode to one of her A.P. classes and they came back with some great questions. Here they are:
1- how far have we drilled into the Earth and is there any hope of reading the mantle? We have drilled about 12 km which is a tiny amount. This took about 20 years to accomplish and the high temperatures inhibited drilling deeper.
2- what instruments to we use to determine the thickness and structure of the core and mantle since we don't have any direct samples? We study seismic waves traveling through the interior of the Earth.
3- what happens to the asthenosphere as a result of loss of magma during volcanic eruptions? In answering this question, we discuss the misconceptions of what a magma chamber actually looks like. It's a very complicated question that requires a complicated answer.
Join us as we discuss the answers to these questions (we have dr…
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Jan 28, 2021
Identifying Rocks Can Be Hard! (GeoShort)
In this GeoShort we tell a few stories that highlight how identifying rocks can be sort of difficult, even for those of us with Geology degrees! Chris likes to call limestone the "Katy Perry" of rocks and Jesse got a question about pumice wrong, one of the easiest rocks to identify on the planet! So, if you are an amateur rock collector and don't always know what the rocks you find are called, never fear! It can be hard.
If you want to know more about limestone, listen to Episode 5: Hard Water and What Makes the Ocean Salty! *
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowston…
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Jan 21, 2021
Astronomy and Geoscience: Interview with Astrophysicist Dr. Jackie Faherty
Today we interview Dr. Jackie Faherty of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City! Our conversation runs wild (and a bit longer than normal!) where we cover everything from Jackie's favorite rock, the overlap between geoscience and astronomy, to the BackYard World Citizen Science project that Dr. Faherty launched several years ago.
Dr. Faherty is an observational astronomer, meaning that she uses telescopes to study our universe, and she specializes in studying brown dwarfs, which she describes as misfits! Brown dwarfs are somewhere between a planet and a star, and they provide important information about how solar systems ultimately form! Jackie also tells the incredible story of the Apollo 11 Lunar Landing with Neil Armstrong piloting the Lunar Lander safely down to the moon's surface, and she tells us that her favorite rock is in fact a sample from Apollo 17!
Jackie and Chris also have a great discussion of astronomy education and how best to convey the inherent int…
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Jan 14, 2021
Jupiter, Space Time, And a Preview to Our Interview with Dr. Jackie Faherty (GeoShort)
In this GeoShort, we give you a short preview to our full interview Dr. Jackie Faherty (coming out next week Thursday). Dr. Faherty is an astronomer who now works at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Dr. Faherty is a prominent astronomer who has published and presented over 100 papers and has a really unique perspective on the Geosciences! We were absolutely honored that she agreed to talk about astronomy, geoscience, and generally interesting topics on PlanetGeo! In this GeoShort, she discusses Jupiter and why she calls it the "bouncer" of our solar system. She believes that if another planet in some other solar system will be found to harbor life, a Jupiter like planet must also exist in that solar system.
Jackie also gives us a glimpse into space time and why it's so difficult for humans to comprehend. This GeoShort is informative and entertaining - Just a short glimpse into the full episode next week.
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Jan 7, 2021
Dammed if We Do, Dammed if We Don't!
In this episode we cover....you guessed it, dams! Dams are incredible manmade features that can not only dominate the landscape but also dominate the river system and fundamentally change how the rivers operate.
We discuss everything from the amount of dams in the United States to major dam failures in the recent past, and highlight some of the basics of how dams fundamentally affect streams when they are installed.
Here are some highlights of the statistics we cover!
* There are roughly 91,000 Dams in the US
* They Impound over 600,000 miles of river or 17% of rivers
* The average age is 59 years
* The number of high-hazard potential dams is over 15,000 and increasing
* It is estimated that over 70 billion dollars is needed to properly upgrade these dams. For perspective, 425 billion dollars are spent each year on Road Infrastructure. About 75% of that comes from state and local governments. 25% comes from Federal.
* Dam regulation is largely up to each state and each p…
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Dec 31, 2020
How is water in the ground measured? (GeoShort)
In this GeoShort, we briefly discuss how people measure groundwater, from the fairly rudimentary (stick a measuring tape down a well) to the highly sophisticated (satellites and conductivity!).
We highlight the GRACE satellites that have been used for decades to monitor and predict groundwater levels around the world.
And we also briefly discuss work by future Penn State Professor Dr. Chloe Gustafson, who uses electromagnetism to measure groundwater underneath the Atlantic Ocean (see her publications here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=hFaSe94AAAAJ&hl=en).
In summary, groundwater is awesome and measuring it can be both simple and very difficult! *
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Dec 23, 2020
How is Obsidian Formed? (GeoShort)
Have you ever heard of obsidian? Mostly likely you have; it is the rock that was commonly used by early humans to make arrowheads and other weapons. Obsidian is a very beautiful rock types, but it's formation is often misunderstood. In this GeoShort, we briefly highlight how obsidian is formed and discuss how unique it is. Obsidian is actually a glass, meaning it has no crystals in it! In fact, obsidian is naturally very unstable at Earth's surface so it breaks down quickly. This means that obsidian is usually a very young rock; no ancient obsidian occurs on Earth!
Obsidian has been used for thousands of years by humans. However, obsidian formation is usually misunderstood by people! In this GeoShort we discuss how obsidian forms, which has more to do with the composition of the magma than the cooling rate. The felsic (silica-rich) magma type that obsidian forms from is very thick and sticky. This means that it cannot flow very quickly (a term called viscosity, or the resistance to fl…
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Dec 17, 2020
The Voices of Volcanoes: Interview with Volcanologist - Dr. Diana Roman
In this episode we had the great pleasure of interviewing Dr. Diana Roman, a volcanologist at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington DC! Diana is not only a spectacular and prolific researcher, but she is an excellent communicator of all things volcanoes!
In this interview we talk to Dr. Roman about a wide range of topics including her career trajectory and former life as an economist and venture capitalist! Now, Dr. Roman is a leading researcher into volcano seismicity, or the earthquakes associated with volcanoes and volcanic eruptions. Diana draws an analogy to volcanoes and famous vocalists, in that the pitch of a volcano's earthquakes changes through time!
We also discuss Dr. Roman's path to geoscience, what her career path looked like, and what it is like being a high-profile woman in the sciences! She also discusses the future of volcano research, and how the field can go from pattern recognition to a deeper understanding of the processes of volcanism on Earth.
Gi…
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Dec 10, 2020
Why don't beaches erode quickly? Plus an interesting beer question (GeoShort)
In this episode, we answer a listener question! Thanks to Tom for the excellent question which is, Why Don't Beaches Erode Quickly? Basically our answers are the same, that beaches do erode quickly both in storms and in every day wave action. But, we answer them in two different parts.
Tom also wondered what was our favorite beer to drink while looking at the Grand Tetons. Another excellent question! Chris enjoys a hazy IPA from the Snake River Brewing Company (Earned It) or any beer from Grand Teton Brewing Company and Jesse would choose a nice cold Narragansett after a long day of hiking (though Chris judges him for it).
Thanks for the questions Tom and keep them coming!
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Dec 3, 2020
Where is Earth's Water? Examples from the Great Lakes
In this episode, Jesse and Chris talk about water. That's right - water. Where is the worlds water? We begin by lumping all of the worlds water into 6 geological basins: oceans, glaciers, groundwater, lakes, atmosphere, and rivers. We then assign relative percentages to each reservoir and then demonstrate how much water each would hold if all of the worlds water were scaled down to 5 gallons (19 Liters).
What comes to light is that less than 1% of all the worlds water is useable for human consumption - less than a half of a cup on a 5 gallon scale! That "1/2 cup of water" is enough to keep 9 billion people alive, but it is not evenly distributed over the planet.
We use the Great Lakes in the Mid-West United States to illustrate the "haves and have nots". The Great Lakes contain 21% of all the standing fresh surface water on Earth. Despite having this incredible amount of water, the Great Lakes Basin is already dealing with water issues. Our groundwater is being depleted and our stand…
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Nov 25, 2020
Bonus Story from Harlan Kredit (GeoShort)
Welcome to PlanetGeo - a short episode. Today, we have a bonus story from our interview with longtime Yellowstone Park ranger - Harlan Kredit. We were asking him about some of his most memorable experiences during his 48 year tenure. Late one night, Harlan got a call about a baby that was lost at Lewis Lake in the Southern part of the park. He talks about the grueling task of working a gird search in rough terrain. Buried in this story, is a powerful life lesson as he made a crucial decision that resulted in rescuing the baby. This is worth the listen.
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*We now have a **live Mobile App for iOS and Android.** There you can learn all the basics of geoscience with our CampGeo content, purchase a visual audiobook on the Geology of Yellowstone National Park, and listen to past PlanetGe…
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Nov 19, 2020
Interview with a Yellowstone Park Ranger - Harlan Kredit - 48 years and counting
In this episode, we interview a real gem - Yellowstone Park Ranger Harlan Kredit. At 81 years old, Harlan has taught high school biology and earth science for 58 years and worked as an interpretive ranger for 48 years in Yellowstone. Don't be fooled by his age; Harlan hasn't lost a step; Chris' high school students have a hard time keeping up with him on hikes! Arguably, Harlan has more of an intimate knowledge of Yellowstone than anyone other human - past or present. He is also the best teacher we've had the privilege to watch and he has won almost every teaching award possible, including the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellency in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Harlan as has his own Wikipedia page; not something many people can say!
Today, Harlan talks about a wide range of topics regarding Yellowstone National Park, including funny stories and problems facing the park in the future.
Throughout the interview, our discussion spans many different topics such as:
- Reintro…
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Nov 12, 2020
Listener Question - Can Human Noise Damage the Earth? (GeoShort)
In this GeoShort Episode we answer the listener question: Can human induced earthquakes damage Earth? The short answer is....no.
Human seismic noise is actually really really small, but everywhere. Much like static in the radio signal, it creates a little background buzz in many place.
In this episode, we talk about how small the human background seismicity is and also the misconception that earthquakes are rare events. Earthquakes are actually quite common; it's the big earthquakes that are rare. Small earthquakes are occurring all the time except that they just cannot be felt by humans. Our really sensitive instruments do pick up these vibrations though! Millions occur every year all over the planet but they don't have a major impact on our lives.
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Nov 10, 2020
Hiking Recommendations for the Tetons (GeoShort)
In this GeoShort Chris gives recommendations for several hikes to do in the Grand Teton National Park! These recommendations range from short day hikes to see cool geoscience within the Park, to full-on weeklong backpacking trip suggestions if you need to get away from it all for awhile.
Backpacking: Teton Crest Trail. Unrivaled beauty along this well-defined trail. Four to six days depending on what you want to do.
Day Hikes: Amphitheater Lake. This well defined trail takes you up to a cirque and tarn. It's a large area at the destination which enables the hiker to get away from people if you want.
Black Tail Butte: Short day hike (maybe 4 miles) that offers great views of the Eastern slopes of the Tetons.
Best Geology Hike: I was only allowed one so I picked Paintbrush Canyon. It's amazing and if you're feeling adventurous, you can hike over the divide and down to Lake Solitude.
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Nov 5, 2020
The Greenhouse Effect Unpacked
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Join us as we discuss the science behind the greenhouse effect and how it all works.
In this episode, we talk about the forgotten history of the greenhouse gases. The science behind greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and water is 200 years old. What we began to understand two centuries ago came long before humans had any impact on the composition of our atmosphere and it certainly never occurred to Joseph Fourier and John Tyndall that humans could ever influence the greenhouse effect. The discussion then turns to what scientists know about the greenhouse effect and, more precisely, how it works. This natural phenomenon is a good thing as it makes our planet habitable by keeping it warm and preventing the oceans from freezing.
We then turn our attention to the chemistry of burning fossil fuels using coal, natural gas, and gasoline as examples. The main gases pro…
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Oct 22, 2020
Grand Teton National Park: A geological story
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Check out this photo of Grand Teton National Park to visualize what we discuss in this Episode!
https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/tetonfall.htm
Join us this episode as we take you through a tour of the geoscience history of Grand Teton National Park and discuss why the Grand Tetons are such an amazing place to explore geoscience questions.
Grand Teton National Park is a totally dynamic place, where there are two competing forces. First, tectonic uplift works to build the mountains up to high elevations while weathering and erosion works to knock these mountains back down to sea level. These competing forces make for a very active and restless mountain range.
We discuss the full range of the geologic history of the Grand Teton National Park, which spans from very ancient metamorphic gneisses that are 2.7 billion years old, to glacial features forming beautif…
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Oct 8, 2020
Diamonds: Earth's Deepest Gem
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
In this episode we cover a range of topics centered around diamonds. Where do they come from? Why are they valued? How are they formed? Why do diamonds sparkle so much?
Diamonds are a huge industry, and an economically important resource for many countries. We cover the basics of diamond formation, what causes them to sparkle so much, and why they are scientifically so interesting!
It all comes down to density and hardness. Diamonds are formed deep within the Earth where carbon is put under great pressure. The extreme pressure required for diamond formation is what makes them so hard, which in turn makes them sparkle more than most gems. The extreme pressures are also difficult and expensive to replicate in the lab, so making diamonds synthetically is a pretty extreme task. However, there are ways around this, including putting graphite into a small room with a b…
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Sep 24, 2020
Hard Water and What Makes the Ocean Salty
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
This week we tackle a big question: why is the ocean so salty? Spoiler alert: it's because of the hard water you may have running through your house!
In this episode we cover three major questions: 1) Why is the ocean salty? 2) Why do rivers keep flowing all the time? and 3) What is hard water? Guess what...they are all related!
Hard water is water that is "hard" to make a lather with. This is caused by dissolved ions in the groundwater. Those ions get there because groundwater interacts with rocks under... wait for it... the ground! This groundwater feeds rivers, which then flow into lakes and ultimately the oceans. The ocean water then evaporates, leaves behind the salty stuff from dissolved rocks, forms clouds and rain, and starts the whole process over again. Except, the salty ions are left behind in the ocean and accumulate over time.
Hard water is extremel…
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Sep 10, 2020
Covid19: it's not ALL bad
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
In this episode we discuss what happened to our planet during the lockdowns due to Covid in the Spring of 2020.
*TL;DR **The Earth quieted down and we produced less CO2*
We highlight a few interesting articles that have been published recently and discuss the way that scientists measure Earth movement using seismometers! We can even detect touchdowns during football games with seismometers, and when everyone was forced to stay at home during lockdowns the Earth became much quieter. Also, air pollution was reduced and we talk about what that might mean going forward.
Here are links to the articles we mentioned. Specifically, this Nature commentary outlines the reduction in seismic noise curing Covid Lockdowns
*Read this article on the reduction in seismic noise: **https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00965-x**
*which has been updated in a more recent article…
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Aug 29, 2020
Yellowstone National Park
*Learn all the basics of the amazing Geology of Yellowstone National Park, with visuals! Available now at -** campGEO!**
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
In this episode we get into one of our favorite places to study and teach the geosciences, Yellowstone National Park! Yellowstone was the United State's first National Park, and arguably the first park of its kind in the world, but there is so much more! We discuss some of the interesting biology and geology going on in Yellowstone National Park, including cutthroat trout, how elk affect beavers, and the super volcano that created the landforms we see today! Morale of the story, we love Yellowstone National Park, and if you haven't been there, check it out someday soon!
If you are intrigued about our discussion of the Snake River Plain and want to know more, please check out this excellent webpage created by Paul Link at Idaho State University.
Also, if you have the time, check out Craters of the Moon National Park next time y…
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Aug 27, 2020
What is a Tectonic Plate?
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
“Plate tectonics makes this planet awesome, flat out.”
In this episode we take a dive into the fundamental process that makes Earth unique, plate tectonics. We discuss what a tectonic plate is and what our planet would look like without plate tectonics, which would be pretty boring! Also, because of plate tectonics we are always moving relative to the center of the Earth. Listeners in North America are moving very slowly (think of the rate your fingernails grow) away from listeners in Europe and they are both moving away from those in Australia.
Check this link out for a map of the various tectonic plates on Earth at the moment!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics#/media/File:Plates_tect2_en.svg
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Aug 22, 2020
Geoscience is Important. Period.
*Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - **campGEO**!
Available here: **geo.campcourses.com*
Welcome to the first episode of PlanetGeo! Here we get introductions out of the way and discuss what excites us about the geosciences.
We are Chris Bolhuis, an award-winning High School Teacher in Hudsonville, Michigan. Over his 20-ish year career, Chris has taught Earth Science, Geology, and Astronomy, as well as field courses in the Geosciences. Chris won the National Earth Science Teacher of the Year award in 2014 and can usually be found sitting on his front porch admiring his substantial rock collection.
Jesse is a Geoscience Professor at Penn State University, and a former student of Chris’s. Jesse took 9th Grade Earth Science, 11th Grade Geology, and went on a several field courses taught by Chris while he was in high school, which led to his passion for the Geosciences. Since that time, Jesse obtained his PhD in Geochemistry from the University of Alber…
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